UK health officials prepare for omicron surge at hospitals

By DANICA KIRKA
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — England’s National Health Service is building temporary structures at hospitals around the country to prepare for another possible surge of COVID-19 patients. The U.K. reported a record 183,037 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday, 32% more than the previous day. While early data suggests omicron is less likely to cause serious illness than earlier variants, public health officials think the sheer number of infections could lead hospitalizations and deaths to increase. The NHS will begin setting up “surge hubs” this week at eight hospitals around England, each with the capacity to treat about 100 patients. The NHS said Thursday that staff also are preparing plans to create as many as 4,000 “super surge” beds.