Sir Simon Stevens said the second wave ‘is real and it’s serious’ as he pointed to NHS data showing there are more than 11,000 coronavirus patients in hospitals in England

Hospitals are under pressure with more than 11,000 coronavirus patients on the wards, the NHS England boss has said.

Sir Simon Stevens warned that the second wave of the virus “is real and it’s serious” as he set out the grim figures at a Downing Street press conference.

Amid concern over the use of coronavirus data, Sir Simon said the equivalent of 22 hospitals were full of patients with Covid-19.

He pointed to a chart showing under 500 patients were on wards in September, rising to 2,000 in October, and more than 11,000 in November.

“That’s the equivalent of 22 of our hospitals across England full of coronavirus patients,” he said.