The United Kingdom reported an increase in Omicron coronavirus cases on Saturday which government advisers said may be just the tip of the iceberg, and the Mayor of London declared a «major incident» to help the city’s hospitals cope.
Britain’s Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the number of Omicron cases registered across the country stood at 25,000 as of 6pm on Friday, more than 10,000 more than 24 hours earlier.
Seven people believed to have contracted the Omicron variant died as of Thursday, up from one death in previous UKHSA data that ran through Tuesday. The number of hospital admissions of people believed to have the variant increased to 85 from 65.
The government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) said it was «almost certain» that hundreds of thousands of people were infected with the variant every day and not captured in the numbers.
Without further tightening of Covid-19 rules, Sage said, «Modeling points to a peak of at least 3,000 hospital admissions per day in England,» they said. In the minutes of the meeting on December 16.
Last January, before Britain’s vaccination campaign accelerated, the number of daily hospital admissions in the UK rose to more than 4,000.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has faced a rebellion in his ruling Conservative party over some of the measures he has taken so far to try to curb the spread of the latest Covid-19.
Advisers said it was too early to assess the severity of the disease caused by Omicron, but that if there was a modest reduction compared to the delta variable, «Very high numbers of infections would still put a significant strain on hospitals.»
London Mayor Sadiq Khan declared a «major incident» – allowing for closer coordination between public agencies and possibly more central government support – as hospital admissions in the city for Covid-19 rose by nearly 30 per cent this week.
He said absenteeism of health workers has also increased.
“This is a statement of how serious things are,” he said.
The Omicron variant is estimated to account for more than 80 per cent of new Covid-19 cases in London, officials said on Friday.
Johnson was due to chair an emergency committee meeting over the weekend with the delegated departments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which have their own powers over public health.
A report in The Times said officials are preparing draft rules that, if introduced, would ban indoor mixing in England – except for work – for two weeks after Christmas when pubs and restaurants are limited to serving outside tables.
People will be able to meet in groups of up to six outdoors, the newspaper said, adding that ministers have not yet formally considered the plans.
«We’re not going to shut things down,» Johnson said on Friday.
A government spokesperson said the government will continue to «look closely at all emerging data and will keep our measures under review while we learn more about this alternative».
The number of all new Covid-19 cases reported in official data has fallen to 90,418 from a record high of more than 93,000 on Friday, but that is still the second-highest daily tally in the country. The numbers usually drop on the weekend.
Cases rose by 44.4 percent in the seven days to December 18 compared to the previous week.
Police clashed with a group of protesters opposing the latest Covid-19 restrictions near Johnson’s Downing Street office and residence on Saturday. Police said a number of officers were injured, but no arrests have been made so far. – Reuters