Public Health

Prime Minister Boris Johnson says at least one patient has died with Omicron

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves Downing Street to attend Prime Minister’s Questions at the House of Parliament on July 7, 2021 in London, England.

Chris J. Ratcliffe | Getty Images News | Getty Images

LONDON – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed on Monday that at least one patient infected with the new Omicron variant of Covid-19 has died in the country.

“Unfortunately, yes, Omicron leads to hospital admissions and unfortunately it has been confirmed that at least one patient has died with Omicron,” Johnson said during a visit to a vaccination clinic near Paddington, London, according to Sky News.

“So I think the idea that this is kind of a milder version of the virus is something that we need to put aside and just see the sheer pace at which it is accelerating through the population. So the best we can do , is “everyone gets our boosters.” he said.

On Monday, UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid told the BBC that there are currently 10 people in hospital after contracting the Omicron variant. Javid said Omicron was spreading at a “phenomenal rate” and cases doubling every few days.

A study announced Monday by Oxford University found that two doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca or Pfizer BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine were significantly less effective at fighting off Omicron compared to previous variants of the coronavirus.

However, the scientists were optimistic that booster vaccinations would improve immunity to the new, highly transmissible variant.

In a televised statement on Sunday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned the UK of a “tidal wave” of omicron infections and announced that the country would accelerate its booster program to give all adults a third dose of a vaccine by the end of the year to offer the year. The government had previously aimed to expand its booster program to all over 18-year-olds by the end of January.

Johnson’s statement came after Chief Medical Officers of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland raised the UK’s coronavirus threat level to four – the second highest – amid the spread of Omicron.

The UK recorded 48,854 new cases of Covid on Sunday and cases are steadily increasing after a brief drop in November. According to official figures, 501 of 100,000 people in the country are currently infected.

Some restrictions, including mask requirements in shops and instructions to work from home whenever possible, were reintroduced in England during December.

In a report on Friday, the UK Health Authority warned: “If omicron continues to grow at the current rate, omicron is expected to level with Delta (equal proportion of cases) by mid-December.”

As of Sunday, 3,137 cases of the Omicron variant had been recorded in the UK, with the government urging the public to book their booster vaccines.

However, due to high demand, many people who tried to use the online booking system on Monday were put in an online queue with the UK’s National Health Service recommending people to try later.

Starting Tuesday, close contacts of people who test positive for Omicron will have to do daily lateral flow tests at home for a week for a week – but on Monday those who tried to order the tests from the government website were told that none were available .

While there have been widespread claims that Omicron has milder symptoms than previous variants, there have also been warnings from the scientific community not to make assumptions.

Epidemiologist Deepti Gurdasani said Monday on Twitter that “there is no evidence that Omicron is inherently” milder “than previous variants,” while Dr. White House chief medical officer Anthony Fauci last week said more data were needed to fully assess the risk posed by the variant.

Meanwhile, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told the Wall Street Journal last week that the rapid spread of Omicron could increase the risk of further mutations.

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