LONDON — England is “almost certain” to be suffering hundreds of thousands of new omicron cases a day as the variant drives a new wave of the virus, the U.K. government’s scientific advisers said.
Levels of infection are at their highest in London, and while recorded hospitalizations of omicron patients haven’t yet taken off, the true level is likely to be much higher, the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies said in the minutes of its Dec. 16 meeting, released on Saturday.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan declared a “major incident” due to a rapid spread of the omicron variant across the capital, according to a statement. The move allows the city to coordinate emergency services and access government support.
Without new measures to stem the spread, modeling suggests hospitalizations will reach a peak of at least 3,000 a day, SAGE said. “The earlier interventions happen the greater the effect they will have,” the scientists said. “This may also mean that they can be kept in place for a shorter duration.”
The scientific advice creates a dilemma for U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has so far relied largely on a program of vaccination boosters to limit the virus. After suffering the biggest Tory rebellion of his tenure earlier this week over new Covid rules, he’ll struggle to get stricter measures past his mutinous members of Parliament.
The new restrictions including increased use of face coverings and COVID-19 passes to gain entry to venues were passed with the help of votes from the opposition Labor Party. But Johnson has stopped short of bringing stricter measures and lockdowns used earlier in the pandemic.
