THE NHS is in danger of being “swamped” by a deluge of new Covid-19 admissions, unions have warned at the start of the new year.

Yesterday 55,892 new cases were recorded, the highest ever in a 24-hour period, while the number of deaths rose by 964, the highest figure since April.

Public service union Unison said action was needed “to find ways of maintaining staff levels at swamped hospitals without burning out already overwhelmed NHS workers.”