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According to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, at least one person has died in the UK after getting the Omicron coronavirus variety, the first publicly documented fatality worldwide from the rapidly spreading strain.
Since the first Omicron cases were discovered in the United Kingdom on Nov. 27, Johnson has tightened restrictions and warned on Sunday that the variant could override the immunological defences of persons who had two vaccine injections.
More than the fact that the deceased was diagnosed in hospital, Britain provided no other information on the death. It was unclear whether the patient had been vaccinated or suffered from any underlying medical conditions.
Other nations may have seen Omicron-related deaths, although none have been publicly reported outside of the United Kingdom.
Johnson told reporters at a vaccination centre in London, “Unfortunately, at least one patient has now been verified to have died with Omicron.”
“So I believe the idea that this is a milder version of the virus – I think that is something we need to lay aside – and just acknowledge the sheer rapidity at which it is spreading across the population.”
Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, said the variety was already responsible for 44% of illnesses in London and that it will become the prevalent strain in the capital within 48 hours. According to Javid, 200,000 new Omicron infections occur every day.
Britain reported ten people had been hospitalised with Omicron in different parts of England before the death was confirmed. Their ages ranged from 18 to 85, and the majority of them had had two doses of vaccine.
Omicron, which was originally discovered in late November in South Africa, Botswana, and Hong Kong, can overcome the immunity of people who have had two doses of AstraZeneca (AZN.L) or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, according to the UK Health Security Agency.
Because COVID-19 deaths were not broken down by variation, South Africa’s health ministry was unable to state with certainty if any of the deaths were caused by Omicron.
While preliminary findings from South Africa suggest Omicron may be less severe than the Delta variant, which is currently dominant worldwide, and all cases reported in Europe have been mild or asymptomatic, the World Health Organization said on Sunday that it is unclear to what extent Omicron is inherently less virulent. …
Lockdowns that are more restrictive?
People should rush to obtain booster immunizations to safeguard “our freedoms and our way of life,” Johnson urged, as he faces a rebellion in his party over steps to curtail Omicron and an outrage over staff parties at his Downing Street office during last year’s lockdowns.
COVID-19 was originally discovered in China in late 2019, and he was chastised for initially refusing to be quarantined.
He is also being chastised for overseeing errors in the transfer of patients to care homes and for constructing a costly test-and-trace system that failed to prevent a second wave of deaths.
While mistakes were made, Johnson has stated repeatedly that the government was making hasty judgments in the midst of the worst public health catastrophe in generations, and that vaccines were being distributed quickly.
In the United Kingdom, COVID-19 has killed more than 146,000 people.
Johnson avoided giving a direct answer when asked if stricter limits in England could be ruled out before Christmas. Javid, his health minister, said he was unaware of any additional plans. “No more restrictions are planned that I am aware of,” Javid stated.
Vaccine Lines
Johnson is facing significant opposition from libertarians within his own party as a result of tighter restrictions on daily living and declining poll ratings.
He is also been chastised for his handling of a sleaze scandal, the granting of lucrative COVID contracts, the refurbishing of his Downing Street flat, and a claim that he interfered to ensure pets were evacuated from Kabul during the tumultuous Western pullout from Afghanistan in August.
According to an Ipsos MORI poll for The London Evening Standard newspaper, opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer was ranked 13 percentage points higher than Johnson, marking the first time since 2008 that a Labour leader was considered as a more capable prime minister.
It also reflected other surveys, showing Labour three points ahead of Johnson’s Conservatives on 39%, compared to 35% in November.
A line of hundreds of people snaked back onto Westminster Bridge at St. Thomas’ Hospital Vaccination Centre in downtown London. Queues in London and Manchester, northern England, were also documented by Reuters journalists.
The National Health Service announced on Twitter that “the COVID vaccine booking service is now experiencing exceptionally high demand and is implementing a queueing system.” It advised that you try again at a later time.
