NHS (National Health Service) England will move to level four, its highest alert level, from midnight Wednesday as the number of coronavirus patients needing intensive care rises, Sky News reported on Wednesday.
The move to level four was in response to a serious situation ahead amid a rise in coronavirus patients needing intensive care, Sky News quoted the health service's chief executive, Simon Stevens, as saying.
There had been a very substantial increase in desperately sick patients in hospitals in October, said Stevens. "In many parts of the country, we're now seeing more coronavirus inpatients in hospital and in intensive care than we saw in the first peak in April."
Level four means NHS England will take over coordination of the health service's response to the pandemic, in collaboration with local commissioners.
Last time level four was needed was at the start of the pandemic, before it was moved down to level three in July, according to Sky News.
To bring life back to normal, countries, such as Britain, China, Russia and the United States, are racing against time to develop coronavirus vaccines.