Researchers at Imperial College London say that even with a lock down similar to that in England in November, the number of cases would still triple that.

This was the most serious change in the virus that we've seen.

It comes as the government reported another 53 285 new infections.

The surgeon cases, particularly in London and the Southeast, has left NHS emergency staff at battle stations, according to medical leaders.

With health workers exhausted and struggling to cope, health correspondent Dominique Use reports it might be a new year, but there's no let up in the pressure on hospitals in London and the Southeast, a surgeon seriously ill covert patients mean staff for being pushed to the limit.

Intensive care beds are a really pinch point.

Some patients to be moved from Kent to Bristol and Plymouth, where their spare capacity that in itself is not unheard off.

But doctors say it shows the pressures they're working under.

If the number of cases don't begin to reduce, uh, fairly fairly soon, Andi indeed reduce sharply.

We would be in a situation where the healthcare infrastructure not just in London but across the entire country, is overwhelmed.

And it's not just rising patient numbers.

Staff themselves are falling ill, meaning resources, air getting stretched.

Everybody's reporting a lot of pressure.

Everybody is saying that it's really difficult.

Thio offload ambulances because our departments fall because in turn, our hospitals for It's very frustrating because you can't look after patients in the way you want Thio on when you feel helpless when you know that there's a sick patient in an ambulance, which you just can't get into a department because there was in space.

In order to provide some relief, the Nightingale Hospital in London is being made ready for non covert patients that still hospitals report.

The situation remains very difficult when we are seeing major London trusts, as we've seen in the media today, basically saying that they are under real pressure, they are Atmore than double the normal rate off.

I see you admissions and they would see they are are turning whole floors into additional.

I see you space.

That's when we know we're in a very, very challenging place.

This surgeon Patient numbers is being driven by the new variant of the coronavirus.

It's more contagious, and it's affecting mawr younger people.

And it's having an impact, not just on hospitals in London, the Southeast, but right across the country.

A new research highlights the impact the new variant of the virus is having on the our number, the rate at which it spreads under the lock down.

Maybe over the course of 2 to 3 weeks, the cases would have decreased by something like 30%.

But if the new variant is not present with this increase in the our number all of a sudden instead the decrease of 30% we get massive increase.

The number of cases over the same period could triple so this is more or less the most serious change in the virus that we've seen since the epidemic began.

The best defense against the virus remains maintaining social distance, good hand hygiene and wearing face coverings.

But the big concern is that as this new variant spreads, the extreme pressures now evident in London and the Southeast will soon be seen across the country.

Dominic is insulted for us now.

Dominic just is you're saying there really this new variant is really putting serious strain on the NHS?

Yes, returning tonight We're seeing a really contrast.

Aren't we that optimism around the vaccine that we've enjoyed for the last couple of weeks and that remains our chance of getting out off this dreadful situation in which we find ourselves in yet a the same time the health services braced for what we're told will be a nail biting few weeks.

And the reason for that is there are now hundreds of thousands of people in the UK who are infected with the coronavirus.

And sadly, some of them will need hospital treatment.

They will become very ill and will need that hospital care.

And yet hospitals are struggling not just with rising patient numbers, but with staff sickness.

Staff are also exhausted.

They've been doing this for months now, so we know that hospital cases have been rising here in Greater Manchester as well.

A doctor told me that after a very busy October November, they had a quiet few weeks at beginning of December.

Now those cases of rising once again.

So the great fear is that what is happening in London and the Southeast will now spread to the rest of the country, Driven by this new strain of the virus, that does appear to be much more contagious.

Thank you very much.

Dominica Health correspondent Dominique use there.