LONDON: Britain said on Monday that the Omicron coronavirus variant was spreading at an “unprecedented rate” and now accounts for around 40 per cent of infections in London, so people should get a booster shot as double-vaccination is still vulnerable.
Since the first Omicron cases were detected in the United Kingdom on 27 November, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has imposed strict restrictions and told the nation on Sunday that a “tidal wave” of Omicron was coming.
Britain says that unless action is taken, up to a million people could be infected with Omicron by the end of the month.
“It’s spreading at an unprecedented rate, something we’ve never seen before, it’s doubling every two to three days in infections,” Health Secretary Sajid Javid told Sky News.
“It means we are facing a tidal wave of infections, we are once again in the race between the vaccine and the virus.”
The pound fell 0.4 percent to $1.3225, while it was broadly stable against the euro at 85.29 pence.
Johnson, who has been battling rebellion in his party during last year’s lockdown over measures to curb Omicron at his Downing Street office and spark an outcry over alleged parties, said people should be allowed to “pride our liberties and our lives”. Booster vaccines should be administered to protect the ,
After COVID-19 was first detected in China in late 2019, he initially faced criticism for opposing the lockdown.
He was also criticized for overseeing mistakes in transferring patients to care homes and building an expensive test-and-trace system that failed to prevent a deadly second wave.
Johnson has repeatedly said that when mistakes were made, the government was making decisions at speed in the biggest public health crisis for generations and that his government was quick to roll out vaccines.
Worldwide, COVID has killed 5.3 million people, wiped out trillions of dollars in economic output and turned normal life upside down for many. In the United Kingdom, more than 146,000 people have died from COVID.
As Johnson tries to stop the spread of Omicron, he faces mounting anger from liberals in his party over strict COVID rules and plunging poll ratings.
He has faced criticism for his handling of a sledge scandal, awarding lucrative COVID contracts, refurbishment of his Downing Street flat and a claim to ensure the removal of pets from Kabul during a chaotic western retreat in August.
An Ipsos MORI poll for the London Evening Standard newspaper showed opposition Labor leader Keir Starmer’s ranking was 13 percentage points ahead of Johnson, the first time a Labor leader had been seen as a more capable prime minister since 2008.
It also echoed other polls showing Labor three points above Johnson’s 39 percent ahead of the Conservatives, who were down a point since the last poll in November at 35 percent.
Javid said that although no deaths have been confirmed in England and only 10 people have been hospitalized with the Omicron variant, its rapid spread means that unless the government takes action, health Service can be overwhelming.
“Two doses are not enough, but three doses still provide excellent protection against symptomatic infections,” Javid said.
The government wants to offer a booster to all adults by the new year, an ambitious goal given the Christmas break and vaccinating 1 million people per day, almost double the current 530,000 per day.
South Africa says there is no sign of Omicron’s severity yet.