By Sammie Jones-
An outbreak of altruism that has led to volunteers of 170,000 in the recruitment drive to assist the NHS has been broadly welcomed. The scheme aimed at relieving pressure faced by the NHS has led to a wide response.
Stephen Powis, NHS England medical director, said: “Overnight 170,000 people have signed up – that’s three a minute to help the NHS. It’s an absolutely astonishing response.”
He told BBC Breakfast: “This is a health emergency, we can all play a role in ensuring we get on top of coronavirus and at the same time expand capacity in the NHS.” Mr. Bowis spoke of “outbreaks of altruism and people wanting to help”, adding that he was “bowled over” by medics returning to the front line and the response from people signing up to help the vulnerable.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he has been “assured” stocks were on the way, saying the army distributed 7.5 million pieces of equipment in the past 24 hours. The help is being targeted at the 1.5 million people with underlying health conditions who have been asked to shield themselves from the virus by staying at home for 12 weeks. On Tuesday, it was also announced that the NHS will treat coronavirus patients in a makeshift field hospital in the ExCeL Centre in east London.
The British government has also called for the London Underground to be running in full in order to spread passengers out. A high percentage of London transport workers, including train drivers and crucial control centre staff, are off sick or self-isolating, but automated trains could be used to replace physical drivers in some cases.