UK sets new record for COVID cases as Omicron sweeps London

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UK reports 122,186 new cases of COVID-19, new record high Data confirms rapid progress of Omicron variant

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain reported record cases of COVID-19 on Friday, with new estimates showing large segments of London’s population are carrying the virus, underlining the rapid progress of the omicron variable.

Omicron’s rapid spread has led to an increase in the number of cases over the past seven days, especially in the capital.

Models from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Friday showed that about 1 in 20 Londoners will likely have COVID-19 on December 16, and preliminary estimates – which can be reviewed so far – suggest that may have risen to 1 Every 10 on Sunday.

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Many industries and transport networks are grappling with staff shortages as sick workers self-isolate, while hospitals in Britain have warned of the risk of impacting patient safety.

However, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who bet big political capital on Christmas 2021 was “much better” than the previous year, on Tuesday ruled out imposing new restrictions before the day itself, saying there was uncertainty about Omicron’s seriousness and hospitalization rates. .

Government data showed that the number of new cases reached 122,186, up from 119,789 on Thursday, which marks the third day of cases exceeding 100,000.

People stand inside Kings Cross Station on Christmas Eve, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in London, Britain, December 24, 2021. REUTERS/Henry Nichols

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While recent research on Omicron indicates that it has a lower hospitalization rate than earlier variants of COVID-19, health officials have maintained a cautious note about the outlook.

Jenny Harris, head of the UK’s Health Security Agency, told the BBC: “There is a glimmer of hope at Christmas … but it is certainly not yet at the point where we can reduce this serious threat.”

“What we’ve got now is a really good balance between something that sounds like a lower risk of hospitalization – which is good news – but it’s also a highly transmissible variant and one that we know avoids some of our immune defences.”

The government on Friday reported 137 new deaths within 28 days of testing positive for COVID-19, down from 147 on Thursday, bringing the total during the pandemic to 147,857 – the highest in Europe.

The prevalence has increased across the UK, with Scotland showing the lowest infection rate at 1 in 65 people on December 19, the Office for National Statistics said.

Estimates from the Office for National Statistics showed that about 1 in 35 people in England – the equivalent of 1.54 million people – contracted COVID-19 in the six days to 19 December.

Early modeling of later days suggested it could have risen to more than 2 million people on Sunday, or about 1 in 25.

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(Reporting by Andy Bruce) Editing by Paul Sandel and Toby Chopra

Our Standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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