Category Archives: omicron

Covid Latest: Boris Johnson Confirms 90% Of ICU Patients Have Not Had Their Booster Jabs

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Boris Johnson has told broadcasters that approximately 90% of the patients in ICU with Covid have not received their booster jabs.

During a tour of a vaccine centre on Wednesday, the prime minister said doctors had passed him the data about who had been hospitalised with the virus recently.

The prime minister said: “If you’re not vaccinated, you’re eight times more likely to get into hospital altogether.”

He continued: “The Omicron variant continues to cause real problems. You are seeing cases rising in hospitals.

“But it is obviously milder than the Delta variant and we are able to proceed in the way that we are.”

He claimed it was clear that the boosters are having an impact on reducing the severity of infection, before touching on his controversial decision not to announce any new restrictions ahead of New Year’s Eve.

“I think everybody should enjoy New Year but in a cautious and sensible way,” Johnson said.

While restrictions have been tightened in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, England remains under ‘Plan B’ measures. This includes mandatory face masks in some settings, the use of Covid passes for indoor venues and working from home guidance – but no caps on indoor or outdoor gatherings.

Instead, Johnson urged the public, “take a test, ventilation, think about others – but, above all, get a booster,” in preparation of the annual celebrations on December 31.

The prime minister has been championing the renewed booster drive since the highly transmissible Omicron variant was first identified in November.

He even clashed with some NHS chiefs after he said he wanted every eligible adult to receive a jab by the end of the year – meaning the health service would have to vaccinate around one million people per day.

Johnson said on Wednesday that 2.4 million eligible double-jabbed people have still not taken up the offer a booster vaccine.

The UK also recorded a record number of Covid infections on Tuesday, with 129,471 people testing positive. This data does not include the figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland, due to a difference in reporting practices during the festive season.

However as the Omicron variant supposedly carrying a lower risk of hospitalisation and there is always a lag between infection and hospital admissions, the government has said it is waiting for further data before implementing further restrictions.

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UK Reports New Record Number Of Daily Covid Cases

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The number of UK daily Covid cases is in six figures for the third time as another record high was reached.

The government said lab-confirmed coronavirus cases were 122,186 as of 9am on Thursday, and a further 137 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid.

On Wednesday, recorded case rates of Covid across the UK rose above 100,000 for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, new data has emerged showing that Covid infection levels have reached a new record high after a senior health official said findings that the Omicron variant is milder offer a “glimmer of Christmas hope”.

An estimated 1.7 million people in the UK had Covid-19 in the week ending December 19, the highest number since comparable figures began in autumn 2020, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

The new interim data, published on Friday, also shows that around one in 35 people in private households in England had Covid-19 in the week to December 19 – up from one in 45 in the seven days to December 16.

This is the highest estimate for England since the ONS began estimating community infection levels for England in May 2020, and is equivalent to around 1.5 million people.

The latest figures come after UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) chief executive Dr Jenny Harries said data suggesting Omicron may be less likely to lead to serious illness than the Delta variant of coronavirus offers a “glimmer of Christmas hope”.

But she warned that it is too early to downgrade the threat from the new strain, which is still spreading rapidly across the UK.

Dr Harries told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that more information is needed, particularly about the impact on elderly and more vulnerable patients.

She added: “There is a glimmer of Christmas hope in the findings that we published yesterday, but it definitely isn’t yet at the point where we could downgrade that serious threat.”

The UKHSA estimates that someone with Omicron is between 31% and 45% less likely to attend A&E and 50% to 70% less likely to be admitted to hospital than an individual with the Delta variant.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Follow HuffPost UK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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UK Daily Covid Cases Hit 119,789 – Another Record High

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The number of UK daily Covid cases has reached another record high.

The government said lab-confirmed coronavirus cases were 119,789 as of 9am on Thursday, and a further 147 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid.

On Wednesday, recorded case rates of Covid across the UK rose above 100,000 for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

It comes as Covid infection levels reached a record high in the UK – but the government maintained no further restrictions will be set out before Christmas.

An estimated 1.4 million people in the UK had the virus in the week ending December 16, the highest number since comparable figures began in autumn 2020, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

The data emerged within hours of Sajid Javid telling broadcasters the government is not planning to make any more announcements on restrictions in England this week.

It follows a warning from NHS national medical director Professor Stephen Powis that the service is on a “war footing” as the Omicron variant sweeps through the country.

In other developments:

– Javid welcomed studies suggesting Omicron may cause less severe illness than earlier strains but he warned it could still lead to “significant” hospital admissions.

– The ONS said the percentage of people testing positive for Covid in the latest week is estimated to have increased in all regions of England except the north-east, south-west and West Midlands, where the trend is uncertain.

– New figures from NHS England showed one in five patients waited at least half-an-hour to be handed over from ambulance teams to A&E staff at hospitals in England last week.

In England, around one in 45 people in private households had Covid in the week to December 16, up from one in 60 the previous week, according to the latest ONS estimates.

Equivalent to about 1.2 million people, this is the highest number since the ONS began estimating infection levels for England in May 2020.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Follow HuffPost UK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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UK Daily Covid Cases Top 100,000 For First Time

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The UK has recorded 106,122 daily Covid-19 cases – the first time the total has gone above six figures as the Omicron surge continues.

The lab-confirmed coronavirus cases were as of 9am on Wednesday, the government said, which added a further 140 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid.

It comes as Boris Johnson has been urged to outline his post-Christmas Covid strategy, as Wales became the latest part of the UK to outline a tightening of restrictions.

The prime minister has reassured people that no further curbs will be introduced in England before December 25, given there is not enough evidence on the severity of the Omicron variant and hospital admission to justify stricter measures.

But in Wales, first minister Mark Drakeford has announced new measures to be introduced from 6am on Boxing Day and claimed Johnson and his Cabinet are “paralysed by their internal divisions”.

Elsewhere, a new formulation of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine has been approved for use in children aged five to 11.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is advising that children aged five to 11, who are in a clinical risk group, or who are a household contact of someone (of any age) who is immunosuppressed, should be offered a primary course of vaccination.

it was also reported that UK Government scientists are set to conclude that Omicron is causing a milder disease than the Delta strain in most Britons.

Politico’s London Playbook said the UK Health Security Agency is expected to publish early real-world data on the disease’s severity before Christmas, with its findings also suggesting Omicron is not necessarily mild enough to avoid large numbers of hospital admissions.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Follow HuffPost UK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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Covid Latest: Why The Next Few Days Are Crucial

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Downing Street has ruled out introducing any further restrictions this side of Christmas, but it remains unclear if this will change once the festive season is over.

As Omicron has swept through London at an alarming rate, making it the epicentre for the virus in the UK in just a few weeks.

So when it comes to weighing up the impact of Omicron and the potential damage from new Covid measures, the government and its scientific advisers are expected to look to the capital first to gage just what this new variant might do.

What’s going on in London?

Covid cases in London are increasing rapidly.

According to London.gov.uk, 20,491 people tested positive on Tuesday 21 December.

For the week ending 16 December, there were more than 800 positive cases per 100,000 population in every London borough.

Weekly rate of new Covid-19 cases in the UK show how London infections have shot up in recent weeks

PA Graphics/Press Association Images

Weekly rate of new Covid-19 cases in the UK show how London infections have shot up in recent weeks

There were 1,904 total patients in London hospitals with Covid on Tuesday, up by approximately 600 compared to Tuesday 14 December.

On Sunday 19 December, 245 new patients were admitted to hospital in London with Covid.

There were 201 Covid patients in ventilation beds in London, an increase of seven since last week, and 19 people died in the city’s hospitals after testing positive for Covid.

According to Jane Merrick in the i, experts are most interested in the hospitalisation rate.

If the hospitalisations exceed around 400 Covid patients a day in London, that could put intense pressure on the NHS – meaning the virus was causing too much damage to the health service and more restrictions would be needed.

Covid-19 patients in hospital in the UK

PA GraphicsPress Association Images

Covid-19 patients in hospital in the UK

Why does this matter?

If hospitalisation numbers become too high in London, that suggests the rest of the country would soon follow suit.

As prime minister Boris Johnson has explained, scientists are still not clear how severe Omicron can be in some people who get infected.

Without this knowledge the government does not want to press on with introducing further restrictions.

Deaths involving Covid-19 in England & Wales

PA GraphicsPress Association Images

Deaths involving Covid-19 in England & Wales

How hopeful should we be?

It’s important to note that hospitalisations lag behind infection rates by approximately two weeks.

But, as Omicron tightened its grip on London at the start of December, there is a chance that the low hospital admission rate may indicate the new variant truly isn’t as severe as the previous strains.

Covid rates in London hospitals are much lower than those at the end of 2020, when Johnson announced the UK’s third lockdown.

Approximately 1,904 people are in hospital now compared to 3,367 last year.

The World Health Organisation’s professor Paul Hunter told The Times that current Omicron infections were less than half of the original forecast – expected to be at 200,000 positive cases a day by 20 December.

He added: “It’s possible that something is changing with the epidemiology of Omicron – it’s possible that it’s not growing at the rate that it was.”

What else could impact the UK’s Omicron response?

London’s infection rate is not the only factor which will influence the government’s Covid response, especially as the variant spread rapidly through the UK.

The priority is still whether or not the NHS can cope if there’s a surge in cases, especially if some healthcare workers are off sick themselves with the virus.

Cases across the UK seems to have stabilised at approximately 90,000 for the sixth day in a row, too, despite the concerning situation in London.

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UK Records Daily Covid Cases Above 90,000 Again

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The number of people testing positive for Covid-19 in a day in the UK is back above 90,000.

A further 91,743 lab-confirmed Covid cases have been recorded in the UK as of 9am on Monday, the government said.

A further 44 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19. Infections had fallen below 90,000 over the weekend when testing typically falls off.

It comes as Boris Johnson’s senior ministers met to discuss the rising tide amid warnings the NHS could be overwhelmed without further action to stop the spread of the Omicron variant.

The government’s chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance and England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty briefed an unscheduled meeting of the Cabinet on Monday.

Downing Street denied it was an emergency meeting, saying ministers were being updated on a fast-changing situation.

It comes after the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) warned daily hospital admissions could reach 3,000 without further restrictions.

Earlier, deputy prime minister Dominic Raab refused to rule out the possibility that additional measures could be required before Christmas – now less than a week away.

“I just can’t make hard, fast guarantees,” he told Sky News.

The government has said that it will if necessary recall Parliament to allow MPs to vote on any new regulations it proposes for England.

However, that could prove politically problematic for Johnson, with not only senior ministers objecting to any further controls.

Last week Johnson suffered the biggest backbench rebellion of his premiership with 100 Tory MPs voting against rules requiring Covid passports for entry into nightclubs and other venues.

Any additional proposals could spark another revolt at a time when the Prime Minister is politically weakened by the ongoing row over parties in Downing Street last Christmas and the Tories’ crushing defeat in the North Shropshire by-election.

Johnson has reportedly been presented with a series of options to tackle the spread of the virus, ranging from guidance asking people to limit indoor contacts, to rules on household mixing, social distancing and a curfew on pubs and restaurants, to full lockdown.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Follow HuffPost UK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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Labour Demands Tory MP Apologise Or Face The Sack Over Chris Whitty Attack

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Labour has called for a Tory MP who attacked Chris Whitty for his Covid advice to apologise for her remarks or be sacked from her government post.

Joy Morrissey branded Whitty an “unelected covid public health spokesperson” on Twitter and suggested he “defer to what our elected members of parliament and the prime Minister have decided”.

“I know it’s difficult to remember but that’s how democracy works,” she added. “This is not a public health socialist state.”

Joy Morrissey's now-deleted tweet
Joy Morrissey’s now-deleted tweet

Morrissey, a private parliamentary secretary to deputy prime minister and justice secretary Dominic Raab, has since deleted the tweet but has not apologised.

Instead, she issued a follow-up tweet in which she said she was “increasingly concerned at public health pronouncements made in the media that already seem to exceed or contradict decisions made by our elected representatives”.

Following her remarks shadow justice secretary Steve Reed called on Raab to force Morrissey to apologise or sack her.

In a letter to Raab, Reed said: “I am calling on you to demand that she apologise or, failing that, be removed from her position.

“It is vital, especially during this pandemic, that our leading scientists have the freedom to give public health advice to the public and to offer their expertise without fear of reprisal.

“As the Omicron variant spreads rapidly through Britain, there must not be any sign of the government censoring or intimidating our leading scientific experts.”

Morrissey is not the only Tory MP to vent their anger at Whitty following his advice that the public should “prioritise” social events that matter to them and avoid those that do not.

Conservative MP Steve Baker hit out at “officials” who have a “massive capacity to herd the public into particular behaviours”, while colleague Steve Brine accused “advisers” like Whitty of “running the show”.

Later in the morning Downing Street dismissed Morrissey’s claim that Whitty was acting as if Britain is a “public health socialist state” and issued a staunch defence of the chief medical officer.

Asked if Boris Johnson agreed with her comment, the prime minister’s official spokesman said: “No. Professor Whitty is a hugely respected and trusted public servant who provides independent, evidence-based advice.

“I think he himself has been clear that he provides advice and it is rightly for ministers and elected politicians to decide.

“He has been a hugely trusted and valued part of our pandemic response and continues to be so.”

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Ministers Are ‘Not Nazis’ Says Labour’s Wes Streeting In Extraordinary Take Down

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Labour’s Wes Streeting took down rebellious Tory backbenchers today, telling them government ministers are “not Nazis”.

The shadow health secretary opened his speech in the Commons with an unusual defence of Conservative ministers who have come under fire from their own backbenchers.

Streeting highlighted comments by Tory MP Marcus Fysh who compared Covid health passes – aimed at limiting the spread of Omicron – to atrocities in Nazi Germany.

Streeting told the Commons: “It should not be for me as the shadow secretary of state to point out that we’re not living in the 1930s and the secretary of state and his team are not Nazis.

“On their shoulders rests the health of our nation and the responsibility to protect our NHS. Indeed, it’s a responsibility we all share.

“They need our support and they are owed better treatment than they’ve received from some on their own side in recent days and even this afternoon.”

Mr Streeting said Labour will “act in the national interest” by supporting the motions under consideration in the Commons.

He made the comments on Tuesday before MPs vote on Boris Johnson’s new Covid-19 restrictions to curb the spread of the Omicron variant.

They include working from home when you can, face masks in certain settings and what is being dubbed “vaccine passports” for large gatherings.

However, Tory MPs have been in open revolt with some touring the airwaves and writing columns on why they will be voting against the measures.

Fysh argued that the passes, which include being fully vaccinated or receiving a negative lateral flow test, would be “segregating society based on an unacceptable thing”.

“We are not a ‘papers please’ society. This is not Nazi Germany,” the MP told BBC Radio 5 Live.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews called his remarks “completely unacceptable” and he was criticised by a fellow Conservative rebel.

Tory MP Christian Wakeford, who plans to vote against the government alongside Fysh, responded: “Whilst I will be in the same lobby as Marcus, these types of comments are untrue, unhelpful, and truly deeply offensive to the Jewish community.

“Covid restrictions should never be compared to the darkest period in human history.”

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Covid Jabs To Be Available On Christmas Day Amid Booster Chaos

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Covid jabs will be made available on Christmas Day, Downing Street said today amid chaotic scenes as Brits rush to get their boosters.

The booster programme will run right through the festive period in a bid to meet the government’s new deadline of jabbing everyone over 18 by the new year.

It comes as Downing Street revealed that 110,000 people booked a booster jab before 9am on Monday.

Boris Johnson announced the speed-up in an address to the nation last night, citing fears of a “tidal wave of Omicron” that could cause “very many deaths”.

He said every adult over 18 in England who has had a second dose of a vaccine at least three months ago would be able to have their booster from Monday morning.

However, the announcement sparked a rush on vaccine centres with some people saying they have had to queue for more than three hours to get jabbed.

Asked if vaccines were going to be offered on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, the prime minister’s spokesman said: “Vaccinations will continue to be offered throughout the Christmas period.

“If there is demand on Christmas Day, then we’re confident the NHS will find a way to match it.”

Pressed on whether people would be able to book slots on the website for Christmas Day, he replied: “My understanding is that there will be appointments available on Christmas Day and obviously the NHS will monitor what the demand is.”

He pointed out that the NHS was available for vaccinations last Christmas, but added: “We didn’t see a huge demand on Christmas Day, I think it’s fair to say, NHS can confirm that.

“Should individuals wish come forward we will make sure there is capacity.”

Meanwhile, stocks of lateral flow tests ran out today, with a message on the government website saying there were “no more home test kits available right now” and people should “try again later”.

From tomorrow, vaccinated people who are close contacts of a Covid case will be asked to swab themselves once a day and from Wednesday those attending nightclubs and large events will have to show a negative result if they are not double-jabbed.

Vaccine centres are already warning they are low on doses and at one point the NHS booking system crashed as thousands tried to secure their boosters.

The army and thousands of volunteers are being drafted in to achieve the target of dishing out a million doses a day.

Downing Street insisted there would be enough supplies of the vaccines to speed up the booster jab delivery.

The prime minister’s spokesman also clarified that if those eligible booked in time, it was the actual jab – not just an appointment – that would be met by the end of December.

He added: “We absolutely aim to meet this commitment. It is vitally important. I think we can see the strong response from the public.”

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Emergency Cobra Meeting On Covid-19 This Afternoon

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An emergency Cobra meeting will take place this afternoon to discuss the pandemic and spread of the Omicron variant.

Michael Gove, minister for intergovernmental relations, will chair the meeting alongside the first ministers and deputy first ministers of the devolved administrations.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “Cobra will discuss Covid-19 data and ongoing coordination work.”

It is expected to take place mid-afternoon and comes amid warnings from the government’s scientific advisers that Omicron could trigger the biggest wave yet.

The UK Health Security Agency identified a further 249 Omicron cases on Thursday, almost twice the number announced the day before, bringing the UK total to 817.

Asked why Gove was holding a Cobra now after initially rejecting Nicola Sturgeon’s request for a meeting last week, the spokesman said they thought it was a “sensible time” given the ongoing situation with Omicron.

He said the variant had some “significantly concerning characteristics” and added: “We are confident that it spreads much faster than Delta and there is growing evidence of vaccine escape, which is of concern and potentially means that we are going to see increasing hospitalisation rates and sadly deaths.

“We are taking action early to slow the growth of this variant.”

It comes as the government’s fresh covid measures came into force in England today, with masks mandatory in cinemas, theatres, museums and churches.

Health secretary Sajid Javid has warned that the number of UK Omicron infections could hit one million by the end of the month and insisted the new measures are necessary to “build our collective defences”.

Friday’s measures come ahead of a return to working from home on Monday and mandatory Covid passports for large venues from Wednesday as part of the government’s “Plan B”.

However, the tougher measures have sparked anger from Conservative MPs and fuelled allegations that the restrictions were introduced as an attempt to distract from the prime minister’s troubles over an alleged staff party in Downing Street during last December’s lockdown.

Meanwhile, some reports suggest that care homes could be slapped with fresh restrictions in the run up to Christmas and masks made compulsory in pubs and restaurants under a tougher ‘Plan C’ being considered by ministers.

The Daily Telegraph cited an anonymous government source saying it was “very likely” social care visitors will be limited to only three designated people.

Separately, Public Health Scotland urged people to cancel their Christmas parties, in a bid to slow the spread of the latest coronavirus variant.

However, the message contradicts Boris Johnson’s suggestion that parties in England should still go ahead despite a call for to work from home.

Sturgeon also warned today of a potential “tsunami” of infections as the Omicron cases rise rapidly north of the border.

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