Hospital in London briefly put on alert as coronavirus hits - media

A hospital in London briefly declared a "critical incident" on Friday due to shortage of intensive care beds caused by a rise in the number of patients with COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, British media reported on Friday.

Northwick Park Hospital told staff that it did not have enough space for patients requiring critical care, several newspapers and broadcasters reported. The BBC reported later on Friday that the "critical incident" status had been lifted.

(Writing by William Schomberg, editing by Estelle Shirbon)