Two more makeshift coronavirus hospitals to be set-up in Birmingham and Manchester amid death surge
TWO more makeshift coronavirus hospitals will be set up in the UK as the death toll continues to rise.
The temporary hospitals are due to be built in Birmingham and Manchester to help the NHS cope with the swell in patients across the UK.
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NHS England chief Sir Simon Stevens made the announcement at No10's daily briefing as the death toll jumped 181 in 24 hours to 759 - the biggest leap yet.
He said: "Today because this is a problem of course not just confined to London but across the whole country, I have given the go-ahead to the building of two further of these NHS Nightingale hospitals beginning at the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre and the Manchester Central Convention Centre, with further such hospitals to follow."
The CEO also revealed 30,000 beds had been freed up in Brit hospitals to deal with demand, with a further 50 hospitals on stand-by with frontline workers to treat coronavirus victims.
It comes after it emerged Birmingham Airport could be turned into a temporary coronavirus mortuary for 12,000 bodies.
Police chiefs say the huge mortuary could be expanded to cope with the rising death toll in Britain.
The West Midlands itself is considered a coronavirus hot-spot with 112 deaths recorded so far.
The airport is next to Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre (NEC), which has already been discussed as a possible location for a temporary field hospital.
It is understood that any airport facility could initially have space for 2,500 bodies, increasing to up to 12,000, if needed.
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The high-profile names come after Prince Charles, 71, also tested positive for the bug.
The Queen remains in good health at Windsor.