British troops were deploying Friday to hospitals in London that are struggling to cope with “exceptional” staff shortages amid the surge in COVID-19 cases fueled by the omicron variant.
The Ministry of Defense said that it was sending some 40 military medics and 160 general duty staff to plug staffing gaps caused by National Health Service personnel who are either ill or self-isolating amid the spike in coronavirus cases in the capital.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said earlier this week he hoped the country can “ride out” the pandemic without further restrictions, even as he warned that the country faces difficult days ahead caused by the highly transmissible omicron variant.
