The number of daily Covid infections in the UK has been estimated as being at 200,00, Sajid Javid has said as he warned omicron cases are going to “dramatically increase”.
On Monday the UK Health Security Agency said the number of daily Covid infections had now increased to 200,000. The NHS’ Covid alert level was also raised to four, the highest possible level.
Speaking in the House of Commons on Thursday health secretary Sajid Javid said: “It’s vital we remember that hospitalisations and deaths lag infections by around two weeks so we can expect those numbers to dramatically increase in the days and weeks that lie ahead.
He told MPs there are now 4,713 cases of Omicron in the UK adding: “the UK Health Security Agency estimates that the current rate of, the current number of daily infections are around 200,000. “While Omicron represents over 20 per cent of cases in England, we’ve already seen it rise to over 44 per cent in London and we expect it to become the dominant Covid 19 variant in the capital in the next 48 hours.’’
He said the UK’s four chief medical officers had raised the Covid alert level to four, its second highest level during the weekend, while on Monday the NHS has announced it had raised its alert level to the highest “level four national incident.”
Mr Javid said: “This means the NHS response to Omicron will be coordinated as a national effort rather than led by individual trusts.”
The NHS’ highest alert level is four and moving to it means decisions are taken at a national level to tackle Covid, rather than at an individual hospital level. It is separate to the Government’s Covid-19 Alert level which is a scale of one to five.
The news comes after The Independent reported on Sunday hospital trusts have been asked to surge their critical care capacity due in anticipation for Covid-19 pressures hitting within the next few weeks.
On Sunday the prime minister announced the government intended to bring forward its deadline to offer booster covid-19 vaccines to all adults from January 31 to December 31. He admitted routine NHS care would have to take a hit over the next month.
NHS hospitals and GPs are awaiting national guidance from NHS England as to how the plans will be implemented. Senior healthcare sources confirmed they were told on Sunday hospitals would be able to only carry out urgent operations from next week if necessary, in an aid to speed up the booster programme.
More to follow.
