thank you, robert cuffe.ave the nhs after the coronavirus crisis due to the "unsustainable" workloads they face — that's the warning today to a committee of mps. there are fears that many are working under incredibly difficult conditions and that unless that extra support is put in place, there could be burn—out in many workplaces. our health correspondent anna collinson has more. seriously ill patients, stressed staff and wards dangerously close to capacity. this is what one intensive ca re capacity. this is what one intensive care unit looks like in south london, but intense pressures in south—east england are being felt across the country. we know we have more patients in hospital with covid than in the first wave, but we also have patients in intensive care he would be in intensive care in the winter anyway, people who have had heart attacks, road traffic accident, we are changing in two sorts of intensive care units at the same time. covid admissions are still highest in london but there are concerns abo

thank you, robert cuffe.her phase of heavy restrictions, so jayne mccubbin reports on how some people have been perfecting the art of achieving something — a lockdown lifeline. here we are again, and so many of us need to find a thing that will make all of this bearable. some have found that thing in the most unlikely place. kath, we're talking lockdown lifelines. what has saved you? k—drama. k—drama, for the uninitiated, is korean drama. and kath‘s new love is zombie flicks. one of the best things about k—drama is, very strong female roles. usually older women who have some power. i'm very, very, very keen on that, and i'm sure most women my age are! what saved your bacon through lockdown? personal challenge, i guess. this is tim. there's not much else to do, so finding that challenge is the big elevator, i guess. start with one pot, end up with two pots. can't remember if it was four or five. ran out of pots. and yeah, i think that was five, six hours' time well spent. we got a decent video out of it. every

joining me now is our head of statistics, robert cuffe.umbers we have on antibodies? the? can you explain the numbers we have on antibodies?— can you explain the numbers we have on antibodies? they tell us how many --eole are on antibodies? they tell us how many peeple are testing _ on antibodies? they tell us how many people are testing positive _ on antibodies? they tell us how many people are testing positive for - people are testing positive for evidence of a fairly recent infection, or of an infection, how many adults aged over 16, you take blood samples and to give you an indication. we think it is a little over 10%, slightly higher in england, slightly lower in northern ireland and scotland, there is some variation around the uk. it is probably highest in london and yorkshire and humber, around 17% probably. antibodies are not the whole story with regards to fighting off an infection, though, they suggest people that antibodies are probably more likely to be able to cite one but other parts of the immune system helps and antibodies

let's speak to the bbc�*s head of statistics robert cuffe.ually, talk us through the figures. the variations, usually, talk us through the figures-— the figures. the rates are probably 'ust below the figures. the rates are probably just below one _ the figures. the rates are probably just below one or— the figures. the rates are probably just below one or 296 _ the figures. the rates are probably just below one or 2% across - the figures. the rates are probably just below one or 296 across the i just below one or 2% across the nation, 2.5% in london or the north—west, crucially, the unfortunate news is not coming down. they are in england and wales, certainly, than before the christmas spike. and there is evidence of a sharp rise we saw last week in northern ireland has hopefully coming to an end. a reminder that lockdown we are under at the moment which is less stringent than, less harsh than last spring's is up against a more infectious virus and against a more infectious virus and again winter. there is a slight puzzle in the figures becau

let's speak to the bbc�*s head of statistics robert cuffe. better?— before they got better? absolutely. these antibody _ before they got better? absolutely. these antibody figures _ before they got better? absolutely. these antibody figures that - before they got better? absolutely. these antibody figures that we - these antibody figures that we mentioned earlier, they are kind of the silver lining on what has been a fairly relentless succession of grim numbers. you know, the number of people who had these antibodies has been increasing steadily and these are figures for december, probably even higher now and remember, one in ten people, it's not people who have the virus, they are not looking for the virus, they are not looking for the virus, they are not looking for the virus itself, they are looking for things in the blood that help fight infection and hang around for a little while after and so many people having this, what that means, it's harderfor people having this, what that means, it's harder for the virus to go on and infect people

let's get more from our head of statistics, robert cuffe. is is a very grim set of figures that has been released, just put it in some context for us? yes, it is not going to be surprising to anybody that last year was not a good year, but this just gives some historical context to those figures. so, we saw about 700,000 deaths registered in the uk last year, and for context, the average in the five yea rs before for context, the average in the five years before that was just a little bit over 600,000. that is a big increase year—on—year, about 15%. as we said it is the biggest rise since world war ii. it doesn't bring us all the way back to death rates that we saw back in the 19405 and 505, it i5a we saw back in the 19405 and 505, it is a big increase, but the death rate5 is a big increase, but the death rates have moved back to roughly where we were probably in the mid noughtie5. so it has moved u5 where we were probably in the mid noughtie5. so it has moved us back ten years. but the long—term trend has been improving death rates, and this

let's talk to robert cuffe — the bbc�*s head of statistics.g every fortnight. so it was falling much faster. that is important. if we had to see the pressure decreasing on hospitals in the coming weeks, we need the cases to come down and then weeks after that we would see the severe pressure starting to full. maybe a third of hospitals in england are seeing the intensive care units more than 95% full. that is significant pressure. care units more than 9596 full. that is significant pressure.— is significant pressure. there are variations across _ is significant pressure. there are variations across the _ is significant pressure. there are variations across the nation, i is significant pressure. there are variations across the nation, andj variations across the nation, and there? it variations across the nation, and there? ,, ., , ., there? it looks like the falls are bein: there? it looks like the falls are being driven — there? it looks like the falls are being driven by _ there? it looks like the falls are being driven by the _ there? it loo

the bbc‘s head of statistics, robert cuffe has more.7000 deaths. and then we saw a rise of 50%. it is hard to compare to world war ii because uk is a different place, different medicines. but those year—on—year changes to give you afair those year—on—year changes to give you a fair comparison because each year should look roughly like the year should look roughly like the year that went before it. that 15% jump year that went before it. that 15% jump is huge, i think we can show that the audience now. that 15% rise in the far right—hand side last year, and he had to go all the way back to the time of the second world war before you see a single year rise that is as big as that. that doesn't mean your chances of dying are back to where they were around the time of rationing. you probably need to do a more sophisticated analysis that takes into account the age and the size of the population. that analysis puts the chances of dying roughly where they were back in and around the mid 90s. —— the mid 2000s. your chances of dying are begetting

joining me now is our head of statistics, robert cuffe. in the uk. they showed evidence of these antibodies. probably a little bit higher in england, kind of around 12%, add a little bit lower in scotland and northern ireland, 8%, 9%. , ., scotland and northern ireland, 8%, 9%-_ now--- - scotland and northern ireland, 8%, 9%-_ now---- scotland and northern ireland, 8%, 9%. . . now... a ., 9%. yes, i mean... now... as far as i know, antibodies _ 9%. yes, i mean... now... as far as i know, antibodies diminish - 9%. yes, i mean... now... as far as i know, antibodies diminish after i 9%. yes, i mean... now... as far as i know, antibodies diminish after a i i know, antibodies diminish after a time but you could have memory cells, d cells, this is only one measure as to whether people are protected or have had it.— protected or have had it. exactly. look at protected or have had it. exactly. look at the _ protected or have had it. exactly. look at the data, _ protected or have had it. exactly. look at the data, for _ protected or have had it. exa

we can speak now to the bbc�*s head of statistics, robert cuffe. you - sorry, i can't hear... i'm going to try that again. cannot you hear i sorry, i can't hear... i'm going to i try that again. cannot you hear me? ijust want to try that again. cannot you hear me? i just want to begin try that again. cannot you hear me? ijust want to begin by try that again. cannot you hear me? i just want to begin by asking you to talk to us about the uk figures going beyond 100,000 now. it’s to talk to us about the uk figures going beyond 100,000 now. it's 'ust a ve , going beyond 100,000 now. it's 'ust a very. very — going beyond 100,000 now. it's 'ust a very. very sad fl going beyond 100,000 now. it's 'ust a very, very sad total, i going beyond 100,000 now. it's 'ust a very, very sad total, but i going beyond 100,000 now. it's 'ust a very, very sad total, but it's i a very, very sad total, but it's also a worrying week the figure, nearly 8000 deaths are recorded in a week. if you look at a chart for the uk, that's probably the third highest total we have seen an

let's speak to our head of statistics, robert cuffe.ever since the start of november the height of these bars, the total number of critical care beds for the sickest patients, has been rising steadily and up until last week it wasn't keeping up with demand. those blue bars were catching up with the total amount of beds available. so in the most recent week we have seen that start to balance out because the nhs has laid on about an extra 400 critical care beds. but the intensive care society say that's not necessarily enough to lay on beds, you need the equipment and staffing and it shows how tight the balance of pressure is on the nhs at the moment but some hospitals, i think about 19, say their critical care beds are completely full, 100% full, not a bed in the hospital at all. ,., full, not a bed in the hospital at all. , ., ., ' ., full, not a bed in the hospital at all. ., ., ., all. going off at a tangent slightly. _ all. going off at a tangent slightly, clearly _ all. going off at a tangent slightly, clearly doctors . all. going o

let's speak to the bbc�*s head of statistics, robert cuffe, whojoins me now. around in the uk over the course of the last week. that is probably a bit worrying given that we are in lockdown and we have seen the case number is falling, but it is important to bear in mind the difference between these two pieces of evidence. what this survey and the react survey, that has said roughly the same thing, they go to houses at random and swap them so they get a clear picture of how many infections are in the community. the case numbers coming down, they depend on people coming forward to get tested. it is surveys like this that probably gives the clearest picture. levels in england are still high, one in 55 still have the virus. very similar in northern ireland, one in 50. scotland is a bit lower, but there has not been much data from the scottish figures. people will be listening to this and thinking we have been in lockdown for quite some time, why aren't the figure lower?— figure lower? that is the key question- — figure lower? that is the key question. one _ figure

lets get more from our head of statistics robert cuffe.cks _ is and what it's showing. well, it's a study that picks people - is and what it's showing. well, it's a study that picks people at - is and what it's showing. well, it's. a study that picks people at random and tests for coronavirus. it's different to the figures that we normally hear about because it tells us about infections. the daily case figures we are about people that come forward to get tested who probably have symptoms. there's been a difference between those figures. what the reactor study saying is that infections rose quite quickly between december and january and then in the week up to 15th, they think that cases were probably stable, may be going up and down a little, but not very much. that adds a very different picture to cases because they spiked sharply over the christmas period and then came down just as sharply. the truth is that, probably, the case figures exaggerated that rise and exaggerated that rise and exaggerated that rise and exaggerated that full, and

robert cuffe is the bbc�*s head of statistics. he has been looking at these new figures.y, a lot of the figures are coming out, they should not be too surprising that we are seeing hospitals under significant pressure. we are seeing record numbers of deaths every day. but there might be a little bit of a glimmer of hope at the way those numbers are going. some falls, which i suppose we have to take a little heart from, and we can look at regional variation, which is always interesting as well. what are the regional differences? that picture of london and the south—east consistently have had the highest number of cases. that is still the case. but you are seeing falls across most age groups, most regions. the reason we have to be careful when we look into these numbers as think of the week we compare, the most recent week for data was the week everyone came back to work, 4—10th january, we are comparing to the week before that, the week around christmas. there is reason to suggest those terrifying numbers we saw christmas week, maybe 70,000 cases in a day, when you look in

the bbc�*s head of statistics robert cuffe explained more.nd there is evidence that the sharp rise we saw last week in northern ireland is hopefully coming to an end, but it's a reminder that the lockdown we are in at the moment, which is less stringent or less harsh than last spring, is up against a more infectious virus and up against winter. there is a slight puzzle on these figures because the number of people going into hospital with coronavirus is coming down, and the number of cases every down —— everyday has been coming down for a while. we pay attention to these numbers because they give us a clear picture of infections. they pick people at random to test, meaning they pick up people who would not show up on the other numbers because they never get sick or they never come forward for testing. you have got these very different pictures but it's giving us a clear picture of infections. the thing that will resolve this puzzle is understanding how those infections play through into sickness and ultimately death and it's a developing pict

robert cuffe is our head of statistics. ping to reach, that is different by nation. in england they have reached nearly 80% of people over the age of 80. up by about one third on the week. scotland are doing it slightly differently unpublished they are daily yesterday. they are prioritising people in care homes so they are 90% of the way they are so progress is continuing apace for getting the most vulnerable people vaccinated. a slight wrinkle in england may be is that in london we are still a lag, so about 80% of the over 805 across england have received the first dose of the vaccine but in london that figure is a good bit lower, down at about 64% so maybe further to go there. find so maybe further to go there. and how much detail can we get about breakdown across ethnicities? the data that we _ breakdown across ethnicities? tie: data that we have got breakdown across ethnicities? tt9: data that we have got probably doesn't get is that much further than the open safety study that was talked about earlier this morning, becau