At least one person in the UK has died with the Omicron variant of Covid-19, Boris Johnson has said.
Speaking during a visit to a vaccination clinic near Paddington in west London, the Prime Minister said: “Sadly, yes, Omicron is producing hospitalisations and sadly at least one patient has been confirmed to have died with Omicron.
“So I think the idea that this is somehow a milder version of the virus, I think that’s something we need to set on one side and just recognise the sheer pace at which it accelerates through the population. So the best thing we can do is all get our boosters.”
It came after Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the Government will “throw everything at” the Covid booster programme to tackle Omicron.
GPs will only focus on urgent needs and vaccinations for the next few weeks.
Wes Streeting, Labour's Shadow health secretary, said confirmation of the first person to have died with the Omicron variant “underlines the seriousness of the situation”.
He tweeted: “The awful news of the UK’s first Omicron death underlines the seriousness of the situation and my heart goes out to their family and friends.
“This is why the booster rollout is so vital and public health measures are necessary to reduce its spread.”
