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A new 4,000 bed field hospital will be created in London to try and stop the capital being overun by the coronvirus.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock today announced that the ExCel exhibition centre in East London will be turned into an enormous temporary hospital, which the military will help to run.

The new NHS Nightingale Hospital will be made up of two wards, with capacity for 2,000 people in each.

The striking new measure comes as London is struggling to contain the impact of the virus - with a huge spike in new deaths.

Of the 87 deaths in the UK in the last 24 hours, 21 of them came at the London North West University Hospital Trust.

This Trust includes Northwick Park Hospital, which declared a critical incident last week.

Speaking to the nation today, Mr Hancock also paid tribute to the thousands of retired NHS staff who are coming back to work to help the effort - and the students who are coming forward as well.

He said that in total 11, 788 former NHS doctors and nurses had agreed to come back to work - with more than 18,000 student nurses coming to front line.