UK PM Boris Johnson warns of looming 'tidal wave' of Omicron, sets target for booster jab
Under pressure from allegations that he and his employees violated Covid limitations last Christmas, Johnson declared the spread of the mutation an "emergency," with Omicron increasing every two to three days.
FollowUK Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned of an impending "tidal wave" of Omicron on Sunday, pushing back the goal date for over-18s to the end of December by one month. In a televised address, Johnson said a tidal wave of Omicron approaching after the country's medical experts upgraded the Covid Alert Level due to a "rapid spike" in infection from the variation. Under pressure from allegations that he and his employees violated Covid limitations last Christmas, Johnson declared the spread of the mutation an "emergency," with Omicron increasing every two to three days. "We know how these exponential curves arise from unpleasant experience," he continued.
The Covid Alert Level has been raised from three to four, following the confirmation of 1,239 new variant cases on Sunday. This takes the overall number of Omicron cases in the UK to 3,137, a 65 per cent rise from the previous day's tally of 1,898. Britain began relaxing coronavirus restrictions in June, and the warning level was at stage three, indicating that the pandemic was widespread. Level four denotes strong transmission and widespread, major, or rising demand for healthcare services.
According to the four chief medical officers for England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, the action was spurred by recommendations from the UK Health Security Agency, a public health organisation. They stated that COVID-19 transmission is already high in the community, primarily due to Delta. Still, the development of Omicron adds a new and fast-expanding danger to the public and healthcare systems. They also stated that preliminary information indicates that Omicron is spreading considerably quicker than Delta and that vaccination protection against symptomatic Omicron sickness is diminishing.
According to the officers, Boosters were critical because Omicron lowered vaccination protection, and both third shots utilised — Pfizer and Moderna — enhanced immune response and showed "excellent efficacy." The measure is intended to relieve strain on the state-run National Health Service (NHS), dealing with seasonal respiratory diseases like flu. Earlier, the government had set a goal of delivering a booster shot in England over the age of 18 by the end of January. The devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have all announced faster booster programmes. Facemasks were made necessary in many indoor public places in England on Friday, and people are advised to work from home if possible starting Monday.
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Contacts of people who test positive for Covid-19 who are fully vaccinated will be requested to undertake daily lateral flow tests for seven days commencing Tuesday. Those who have not had one or two doses of a Covid vaccination will, however, be required to self-isolate for ten days, according to Health Secretary Sajid Javid. Britain, one of the worst-affected nations by Covid-19, with over 146,000 deaths, launched an extensive vaccine programme in December.
