UK announces extra 5.4 billion pounds for NHS COVID response

LONDON - Britain's government announced on Monday it would set aside a further 5.4 billion pounds ($7.5 billion) to help the National Health Service (NHS) cover additional costs from the COVID-19 pandemic and to tackle the huge treatment backlog.

"The NHS was there for us during the pandemic - but treating Covid patients has created huge backlogs," Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement.

"This funding will go straight to the frontline, to provide more patients with the treatments they need but aren’t getting quickly enough."

($1 = 0.7229 pounds)