A graphic representation of CoVent ventilator designed by Dyson is seen in this undated handout image. DYSON/Handout via REUTERS

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain still had enough critical care capacity to treat patients with COVID-19, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Sunday, and it had more than half of the 18,000 ventilators he now forecast would be needed for the peak of the pandemic.

“There are currently over 2,336 spare critical care beds for the NHS in England, and over 9,000 ventilators are now available to NHS coronavirus patients across the country, thanks to the national effort to ramp up capacity,” he said at a daily press briefing.

He added that 300 new ventilators arrived this weekend from China and British manufacturers were working to develop new ones.