First death by Omicron variant recorded in UK
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UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the country's first death by Omicron variant amid a Coronavirus escalation among civilians.
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Oxford Street, London, on Friday, December 10, 2021 (Reuters)
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson announced that at least one person has died from the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus, saying that Omicron is resulting in an increase in hospital admissions and that the "best thing" one can do is to get a booster shot.
"Sadly, at least one patient has been confirmed to have died with Omicron," he told reporters, a day after warning that the country faces a "tidal wave" of infection.
The UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Sajid Javid, who is a member of the Conservative party, told members of the British parliament that Omicron constitutes around 20% of all cases in England, also announcing on Sunday that all adults in England will be able to take a booster shot by the end of December, which is a month earlier than the government-set deadline.
Johnson asserted on Monday that the idea that Omicron is a 'mild' variant should be deserted that the population should come to recognize the "sheer pace" at which the Omicron variant "accelerates through the population."
As of Monday, the UK acknowledged 54,661 new coronavirus cases and 38 deaths within 28 days since a positive test; however, Javid believed that daily infections are around 200,000, confirming that there are 4,713 cases with the Omicron variant.
According to the Health Secretary, Omicron will become the dominant variant in the UK within the next 48 hours, taking into consideration that 44% of all London cases, as of today, are Omicron.
On December 11, London reported that Omicron takes 30% of all London cases.
Of England's nine regions, London saw the sharpest increase in infections in the week of December 4, a 25.3% jump and the highest since January. Of the 100,000 tested, 474.7 were found positive.
"We know that we have the highest number of Covid infections across the UK recorded today since January 9. We know the Omicron variant is doubling every two to three days in England, and possibly even faster in Scotland," Michael Gove, the Communities Secretary said.
Pfizer encourages taking boosters
Furthermore, Pfizer said earlier this month a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine could offer vital protection against the new Omicron variant.
The pharmaceutical company underscored that the initial two doses appear to be drastically less effective. Pfizer-BioNTech said two doses might not offer protection sufficient enough to prevent infection. However, according to the partners, lab tests showed a booster shot increased by 25 times the level of anti-virus antibodies in the host against the Omicron variant.
