Manchester's Nightingale hospital placed on standby as cases continue to rise in Northern England

Manchester's Nightingale hospital, which closed in June, has been placed on standby after it was confirmed by Professor Stephen Powis, medical director of NHS England, that there are now more patients in hospital with Covid-19 than at the start lockdown in March.

In the North West, as of today, there are 1,218 people in the region's hospitals who are being treated for COVID-19, including 132 on ventilation.

Professor Stephen Powis, said: "We have asked the Nightingale hospitals in Manchester, Sunderland and Harrogate to prepare for this next phase.

“They are being asked to mobilise over the next few weeks to be ready to accept patients if necessary.

“As the infection rate has begun to grow across the country, hospital infections have started to rise.

“It is clear that hospital admissions are rising fastest in those areas of the country where infection rates are highest, particularly the North West.

“In the over-65s – particularly the over-85s – we are seeing steep rises in the numbers of people being admitted to hospital so the claim that the elderly can somehow be fenced off from risk is wishful thinking.”He continued: