COVID-19: Omicron will cause ‘significant increase’ in hospital admissions, warns Professor Chris Whitty | UK news

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Professor Chris Whitty has warned ministers that an alternative to Omicron for COVID-19 would lead to a “significant increase in hospitalizations”.

England’s chief medical officer also told a hypothetical cabinet meeting on Tuesday that it was “too early to say how severe” the pressure would be.

Prof Whitty told ministers he could not say whether cases were settling in South Africa, where the strain was first identified, and said there was “no credible evidence” from the nation’s scientists of a peak in case rates.

Photo: Boris Johnson told ministers during the meeting he believed a ‘tremendous rise’ in surrogate cases would soon hit the nation

He added that it is still too early to determine the severity of the Omicron variant but we can expect a significant increase in hospitalizations as cases increase, according to the Issue 10 account of the meeting.

Earlier, the president of the South African Medical Association, Dr Angelique Coetzee, told MPs on the Science and Technology Committee that most of Omicron’s cases were mild.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned his ministers that he believes a “massive rise” in surrogate cases will hit the nation.

But Downing Street insists no further restrictions are planned for the coronavirus – as the Prime Minister has urged Britons to get booster vaccines.

The stern messages delivered to Cabinet came as nearly 60,000 new cases of COVID-19 were reported, the highest total since January 9, driven by the rise in the highly transmissible variant.

Health Minister Sajid Javid told MPs there was a “very real risk” that the accelerating rise in Omicron’s cases could translate into an increase in hospital admissions that “threatens to overwhelm the NHS”.

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2:03 Sajid Javid appeals to MPs to vote for new government’s COVID-19 rules

Mr Javid told MPs that even if Omicron turns out to be less dangerous than the delta variant, the fact that it spreads so easily means “it still has the potential to overpower the NHS”.

MPs were voting on the Plan B regulations in the House of Commons on Tuesday, with the measures expected to pass despite expectations of a revolt in Tory seats, particularly over COVID permits.

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