United Kingdom: One person infected with Omicron has died in the UK, said PM Boris Johnson as the country began to pace its booster dose program against the variant. On Monday, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said that roughly 10 people were hospitalized in England with the Omicron variant.
Visiting a vaccination clinic near Paddington, West London, on Sunday Mr Jhonson pressed individuals to get their booster shots administered. He said, “ Sadly yes, Omicron is producing hospitalisations and sadly at least one patient has been confirmed to have died with Omicron.” He further asserted citizens stay alert and drop speculations on the transmissibility of the mutated version.
Authorities on Sunday raised an alert level as rapid spread was recorded. The govt announced new protocols to curtail the spread. A five-stage public health risk assessment came after the public health department recorded 1,239 infections on Sunday. Under the new measures, masks have been mandated in many indoor public places. Fully vaccinated contacts of positive individuals will be required to take lateral flow tests for seven days. However, those vaccinated with one or two shots will have to isolate for ten days.
Coronavirus has heavily devastated Britain in the earlier phases, with London accounting for major mortalities. South African variant Omicron has been gaining ground quickly and is expected to be the dominant strain by mid-December. The govt races to achieve its target of vaccinating eligible adults above 18 alongside the booster dose program in place from Tuesday administering booster jabs to adults above 30s.