Boris Johnson claimed that at least one person in the UK has died from the Omicron variety, and he refused to rule out implementing more restrictions across England in the run-up to Christmas.
Following a warning from Britain’s top health officials that “stringent national measures” should be enforced this week, Prime Minister David Cameron said he will “take whatever steps are necessary to protect public health.”
Scientists and Whitehall are concerned that the Omicron variety will soon become the dominant Covid strain, undermining the virus’s defences provided by two vaccines.
Johnson, who is facing a revolt from at least 70 Tory MPs on Tuesday over some of his “plan B” policies and has been chastised over Christmas parties attended in Downing Street last year, said Omicron was likely to make up the vast bulk of new cases.
Speaking at a vaccine centre in Paddington, west London, after pledging to speed up the booster programme, he said: “We now want to hit warp speed and we’ll have to attain a pace and a number of daily booster doses that will exceed anything that we’ve done before.”
Johnson confirmed Omicron was “producing hospitalisations” and added: “Sadly at least one patient has been confirmed to have died with Omicron.”
He stressed: “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.”
Johnson repeatedly refused to rule out tougher Covid restrictions beyond the latest advice to work from home, making masks mandatory in more places and requiring proof of vaccination or a recent negative test result for entry to some venues.
