UK health chiefs brace for ‘bumpy ride’ amid fears over Covid wave

Dr Jenny Harries says hospitalisations are set to exceed April peak in weeks ahead as infections soar

Health chiefs are braced for a bumpy ride" over the coming months amid fears that the latest wave of Covid will drive hospitalisations to their highest in more than a year and seasonal flu pressures could hit early.

Dr Jenny Harries, the chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, told the BBC's Sunday Morning programme that hospital cases with Covid were expected to rise in the weeks ahead, with admissions likely to exceed the April peak driven by the BA.2 subvariant of Omicron.