Attendance at accident and emergency departments in England plunged by more than half in April to a new record low.
Figures published by NHS England today show 900,000 A&E attendances were recorded last month, compared to 2.1 million in April 2019.
It is the lowest attendance since records began in 2010.
The Covid-19 outbreak is likely to be the main cause of the dramatic shift, as people avoid hospitals out of fear of catching coronavirus or taking up NHS time and resources.
This is also likely to put additional strain on the NHS in the future, and doctors will have to play catch-up once the pandemic subsides.
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