The UK is the first country to officially announce a death from Omicron. According to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, at least one person infected with this variant has died in the country.
“Unfortunately, Omicron generates hospitalizations and it has been confirmed that at least one patient has died from Omicron,” the Tory leader said during a visit to a vaccination center in London. Adding that “the idea that this is sort of a less virulent version of the virus, I think it’s something that we need to rule out and recognize the rate at which (its spread) is accelerating within Population”.
The total number of Omicron cases identified in the country was 3,137 on Sunday, but the actual number of cases is believed to be much higher.
Thus, in the face of “an Omicron tidal wave”, in the words of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the executive has advanced by one month the objective of offering a booster shot to all over 18 years in England, who will now be able to benefit from it before the New Year.
A health passport in meeting places
And the task promises to be titanic. Multiplication of vaccination centers, extended hours, deployment of the army: the recall campaign, which will consist in doubling the number of third doses offered to around one million per day, is on a scale “never seen” in the country, Health Minister Sajid Javid said on Sky News.
While two doses of the vaccine are considered insufficient to provide a good level of protection against the Omicron variant, about 40% of those over 12 have already received a third.
Other measures have also been decreed recently, such as teleworking and the wearing of masks in almost all closed places.
A health passport will also be imposed from Wednesday in large gathering places, a measure that angered some of the deputies of the conservative majority. Submitted to a vote by MPs on Tuesday, these new measures are expected to be adopted with the support of the opposition Labor party.
