Boris Johnson confirms first UK death with Omicron variant
Boris Johnson has said that at least one patient has been confirmed to have died with the new Omicron variant as he refused to rule out further restrictions ahead of Christmas.
Speaking during a visit to a vaccination clinic in west London on Monday, the prime minister urged the public to set aside any notion that the new variant was a milder version of the virus.
“The best thing we can do is all get our boosters”, he said, confirming that the government’s latest ambition was to “offer a booster” to every adult this year.
However, the government website to book booster jabs was so inundated with requests on Monday people were urged to “try again later today or tomorrow”.
Long queues were reported at many walk-in vaccination sites across the country.
The government also suspended service on the separate website to order lateral flow tests in order to “to fulfil existing orders”, the UK Health Security Agency said, attributing the move to “exceptionally high demand”.
Earlier Johnson insisted there was a “ready supply” of lateral flow tests.
“Sadly, yes Omicron is producing hospitalisations and sadly at least one patient has been confirmed to have died with Omicron,” the prime minister said.
“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.”
Questioned repeatedly on whether new coronavirus restrictions could be introduced before Christmas, he responded: “Throughout the pandemic I’ve been at great pains to stress to the public that we have to watch where the pandemic is going and we take whatever steps are necessary to protect public health.”
The prime minister is facing a major rebellion by dozens of Conservative MPs on Tuesday over the activation of his Covid “plan B”, which includes the use of vaccine certification or lateral flow tests to access large events.
Speaking on Monday, he said “everybody needs to recognise” that Omicron poses a “very serious risk” and that, while there was “no room for complacency”, the measures put in place were “balanced and proportionate”.
Sajid Javid, health secretary, admitted on Monday that non-urgent operations in England would be postponed as the NHS prioritises booster jabs.
Javid said there were 10 people in English hospitals with the Omicron variant.
He said the NHS would have to beat its previous record of 770,000 jabs a day if it was to meet the objective Johnson announced on Sunday of offering every adult a booster jab in England by the end of the month.
Javid said that non-urgent surgery including knee and hip replacements would be postponed until the new year, but insisted that cancer testing and treatment would be “completely unaffected” by the NHS vaccine campaign.
“This target is huge,” he told Sky News, referring to the aim of offering a booster to all adults by the new year. “There will be different types of units, mobile units, and we are asking GPs to do more, pharmacists to do more.”
He said vaccine centres would be open “at least 12 hours a day” every day except Christmas Day.
Around 750 members of the armed forces will support the NHS, the UK health department and the Scottish government, the Ministry of Defence announced.
More than 100 troops are already supporting the vaccine rollout in Scotland. About 600 personnel will also now work with NHS England to administer vaccines, working in small teams across the country. In addition, around 50 personnel will provide planning support to NHS England.
David Davis, former cabinet minister, said people would ask why the booster campaign had not been ramped up earlier, but Javid insisted the NHS programme was the most successful in Europe, with 40 per cent of adults receiving an extra jab.
According to figures published on December 12, more than 23m people across the UK have had either a booster or third dose.
Martin Marshall, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said GPs would “make or break” the success of the rollout, adding that the public needed to “collaborate in the effort” if the government wanted to get near achieving its target.
He said the vaccine target was “achievable” despite a “knackered” primary care workforce. He added that the workforce would have to be supplemented by staff being redeployed from hospital outpatient clinics and a “call to arms” for help from retirees and medical students.
From Monday people in England are being asked to work from home but ministers are said by officials to be focusing for now on the booster campaign, not additional social-distancing measures.
Additional reporting by Oliver Barnes