The UK’s top public health officials have advised ministers that “stringent national measures” need to be imposed by 18 December to avoid Covid hospitalisations surpassing last winter’s peak, according to reports.
Sajid Javid, the health secretary, received a presentation from the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) on Tuesday warning that even if the new Omicron variant leads to less serious disease than Delta, it risks overwhelming the NHS with 5,000 people admitted to hospital a day, the Guardian reported.
Another 633 Omicron cases have been recorded in the UK - the biggest daily increase so far for the variant.
The total number of confirmed cases of the Covid variant in the UK is now 1,898.
It comes as Communities Secretary Michael Gove said Omicron already makes up 30 per cent of new Covid cases in London.Department of Health figures show London’s infection rate have risen in all 32 boroughs of London - with 11 seeing a leap of over a third in a week.
People are being urged to get booster vaccaines as data shows without them people’s defences against Omicron will be reduced.
