By Danica Kirka — AP, Tuesday 14 December 2021
LONDON (AP) — The Omicron variant is spreading so rapidly it has the potential to overwhelm Britain’s hospitals, highlighting the need to strengthen coronavirus restrictions and speed up the delivery of booster vaccine shots, the country’s health minister said Tuesday. UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid told lawmakers that Omicron is so transmissible that even if it proves to be less severe than other variants, there is still likely to be a surge in hospital admissions if it goes unchecked.
The government rushed to accelerate the national vaccination programme, with a goal of offering a booster dose to every adult by the end of December. In England, people were urged to work from home if possible, with long lines forming at vaccination centres for booster shots. Lawmakers voted Tuesday to approve tougher rules on mask-wearing in most indoor public places and mandatory COVID passes for nightclubs. “This is a new national mission,” Javid said. “A race between the virus and the vaccine to get as many people protected as possible.”
UK health officials temporarily suspended the 15-minute observation period normally required after a Pfizer or Moderna shot to speed up the booster programme. The National Health Service raced to meet the government’s target of delivering up to 1 million shots a day, more than double the recent average. On Monday, 562,800 shots were put in arms, including 513,722 boosters. PM Boris Johnson encouraged everyone eligible to get a booster shot to “reinforce our wall of vaccine protection” and called for thousands of volunteers to staff new vaccination centres in shopping areas, stadia and racecourses.
UK health authorities reported 59,610 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, the highest number since 9 January. UK authorities have said the number of Omicron infections is doubling every two to three days and the variant is likely to become the dominant form of COVID-19 throughout the country in days. Scientists in South Africa, where the Omicron outbreak is more advanced, say the variant may cause less severe disease than the Delta variant, though it is too soon to be certain.