Healthcare services have ‘collapsed’ in the city of Manaus, where hundreds of patients are being airlifted to neighbouring states while others are evicted from their beds to make way.

Vin Diwakar, medical director at NHS England London, provided the worrying analysis to medical directors this afternoon. Pictured: Covid hospitalisations in England.

Hospitals in London have asked NHS colleagues in Yorkshire to take some of the most seriously unwell patients as they have reached capacity.

London’s hospital has been stripped of most of its 4,000 beds, ventilators and even signs pointing to wards. The hospital was hailed as solution to overwhelmed hospitals in the capital.

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board tweeted on Boxing Day requesting ‘urgent’ help treating Covid patients, while clinicians in Scotland warned we could be set to face a ‘perfect storm’ of problems.

Public health officials in California have pleaded with the state’s residents to avoid gatherings over the Christmas holiday in order to spare overrun hospitals of another influx of COVID-19 patients.

East London’s ExCeL centre – the first site opened by NHS England amid the crisis, is seen practically deserted in pictures taken today.

A BBC investigation found that there were between 700,000 and 850,000 fewer scans than usual done in each of London, the North East and the North West as hospitals turned patients away.