Following a significant spike in cases of the Omicron variant, the UK's COVID-19 alert level has been elevated to the second highest. The UK's four chief medical officers have recommended to ministers that the country advances from level 3 to level 4.
They warn that Omicron is spreading considerably quicker than Delta and that there is less vaccination protection against the new variant's symptomatic sickness. They also stated that individuals are already being treated in hospitals as a result of Omicron and that the number of patients is "expected to rapidly climb."
Omicron variant cases prompt high level alert of COVID-19
Medical officials also advised people to get booster shots if they are eligible because they "significantly strengthen the immune response and demonstrate good efficacy." The UK reported 1,239 more confirmed cases of Omicron on Sunday, the largest daily increase that nearly doubled the previous peak set on Saturday.
The total number of occurrences of the variant in the UK now stands at 3,137. The heightened alert level suggests that health experts believe transmission rates are high and that healthcare systems are under pressure, Sky News reported.
Meanwhile, a total of 48,854 COVID-19 cases were reported in the UK this week, an increase of 4,862 over the previous week's total of 43,992 cases. It is an 11.05 percent increase over last Sunday, with a total of 52 fatalities recorded.
The number of patients who died within 28 days of testing positive for COVID-19 has decreased by 3.7% from 52 previous weeks. The statistics come as Nadhim Zahawi stated today that patients with Omicron are now being treated in UK hospitals, calling the new coronavirus type a "major obstacle on the road" for the country's recovery from the pandemic.
Per Daily Mail, the Education Secretary gave a bleak picture of the mutant strain's spread, claiming that it now accounts for one-third of all cases in London. He also revealed that the number of confirmed cases of the variation is doubling every two to three days, with over 1,600 formally confirmed so far.
Zahawi, on the other hand, cautioned that the true number of Omicron cases will be "up to ten times that," claiming that the vaccination booster program is now in a "race against time" against the variant.
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Dr. Susan Hopkins, the chief medical adviser for the UK Health Security Agency, stated that while there are new cases in UK hospitals, no Omicron-related deaths have been confirmed. It occurred after it was revealed that Michael Gove is spearheading the fight for stricter Plan C COVID-19 regulations, including 'pub passports,' in the aftermath of the pandemic flu.
According to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, experts cannot determine whether or not Omicron is less severe at this time, but even if it is, it is considerably more transmissible; and a wave of Omicron across a population that has not been boosted risks overwhelms the NHS, resulting in "many many fatalities."
Johnson announced the Omicron Emergency Boost, which he described as a national mission unlike anything done previously in the immunization program and urged people to "Get Boosted Now." The PM also pushed back by a month with the aim of offering a booster to every eligible adult by the end of January, as per Express.co.
Everyone over the age of 18 in England will be able to obtain their booster shot before the New Year, with the Devolved Administrations getting additional funding from the UK Government to speed up vaccinations in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
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