There are more people in the UK being treated on ventilators with serious cases of Covid-19 at present than at any other time during the pandemic, Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned today (January 25).

Speaking at a Press Conference at Downing Street, Hancock warned viewers of the ongoing severity of the virus even as the number of new cases continues to fall in the UK as he was asked when the current lockdown measures might be lifted.

Hancock said the pressure on the NHS remains "huge" even as case numbers go down, with hundreds of people sadly still dying after contracting Covid-19 daily.

There are 37,000 people in hospital with coronavirus at present, "almost twice as many as at the first peak back in April" Hancock pointed out.

He also noted there are “more people on ventilators than at any time in this whole pandemic".

"The pressure on the NHS remains huge and we’ve got to get that case rate down. Of course I understand the yearning people have to get out of this.

"The thing is that we have to look at the facts on the ground and we have to monitor those facts.

"And of course, everybody wants to have a timeline for that, but I think most people understand why it is difficult to put a timeline on it because it’s a matter of monitoring the data, and in fact this is a state-contingent and not a time-contingent question," Hancock said.

"This is not a moment to ease up. The success of the vaccine rollout means we cannot put this progress at risk."