NEW: a common response to reports of hospitals struggling this winter is "it’s no different to a bad flu season!"

I’ve tracked down historical data on flu ICU admissions, including winter 2017-18, a record high.

Here’s how England’s Covid winter compares to a bad flu season 📹 pic.twitter.com/tsExrDZM31

— John Burn-Murdoch (@jburnmurdoch) January 7, 2021

Steep increases in recent days across all of London.

The chart shows the positive rates across all London boroughs (in comparison with the average for England at the bottom).

[→ interactive https://t.co/wp3vnkFCtP] pic.twitter.com/ZlFT03Fdk8

— Max Roser (@MaxCRoser) January 1, 2021