At least one individual has died within the United Kingdom after contracting the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson mentioned on Monday, warning that the variant now accounted for 40 per cent of infections within the British capital.
Since the primary Omicron instances have been detected on Nov. 27 within the United Kingdom, Johnson has imposed harder restrictions and on Sunday he urged individuals to get booster photographs to stop the well being service from being overwhelmed.
Visiting a vaccination centre in London, Johnson congratulated these getting photographs and handed out stickers earlier than telling reporters {that a} affected person had died from Omicron which he mentioned may overcome these inoculated with two photographs.
“Sadly at least one patient has now been confirmed to have died with Omicron,” Johnson mentioned.
“So I think the idea that this is somehow a milder version of the virus – I think that’s something we need to set on one side – and just recognise the sheer pace at which it accelerates through the population.”
Asked repeatedly if he may rule out harder restrictions in England earlier than Christmas, Johnson meandered away from giving a direct reply.
Johnson mentioned there was a spike in Omicron instances in London, with Health Secretary Sajid Javid saying the variant was spreading at a “phenomenal rate”.
Johnson, who’s grappling with a riot in his social gathering over measures to curb Omicron and an outcry over events at his Downing Street workplace throughout final 12 months’s lockdowns, mentioned individuals ought to rush to get booster vaccines to guard “our freedoms and our way of life”.
After Covid-19 was first detected in China in late 2019, he confronted criticism for initially resisting lockdown.
He has additionally been criticised for overseeing errors in transferring sufferers into care houses, and for constructing a expensive test-and-trace system that did not cease a lethal second wave.
Johnson has repeatedly mentioned that whereas errors have been made, the federal government was making selections swiftly within the greatest public well being disaster for generations and that his authorities was fast to roll out vaccines.
More than 146,000 individuals have died from Covid-19 within the United Kingdom.
VACCINE QUEUES
As Johnson tries to stem the unfold of Omicron, he faces rising anger from libertarians in his social gathering over stiffer restrictions and sinking ballot rankings.
He has confronted criticism over his dealing with of a sleaze scandal, the awarding of profitable Covid contracts, the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat and a declare he intervened to make sure pets have been evacuated from Kabul throughout the chaotic Western withdrawal in August.
An Ipsos MORI survey for The London Evening Standard newspaper confirmed opposition Labour chief Keir Starmer’s rating was 13 proportion factors forward of Johnson, the primary time a Labour chief had been seen as a extra succesful prime minister since 2008.
It additionally echoed different polls by exhibiting Labour up three factors on 39 per cent forward of Johnson’s Conservatives, who have been down one level because the final survey in November on 35 per cent.
Javid mentioned though simply 10 individuals have been hospitalised with the Omicron variant, its swift unfold meant that except the federal government acted the well being service might be overwhelmed.
At St. Thomas’ Hospital Vaccination Centre in central London, a queue of a whole lot of individuals snaked again onto Westminster Bridge. Reuters journalists additionally documented queues throughout London and in Manchester, northern England.
“The COVID vaccine booking service is currently facing extremely high demand so is operating a queuing system,” the National Health Service mentioned on Twitter. “For all others experiencing waits, we would advise trying again later today or tomorrow.”
Home testing kits have been additionally unavailable to order. Johnson mentioned there have been ample provides.