UK sees 10k+ new Omicron cases in a day, toll rises to 7

UK sees 10k+ new Omicron cases in a day, toll rises to 7

London Put On Alert Over Rising Hosp Cases; Total Variant Infections Now Nearly 25k In Britain; Netherlands To Go Into Tight Lockdown

19.12.2021

Britain reported a surge in cases of the fast-spreading Omicron variant on Saturday, and London’s mayor declared a “major incident” to help the capital’s hospitals following a sharp rise in Covid-19 admissions. The total number of Omicron cases recorded across the country hit almost 25,000 as of 1800 GMT on Friday, up by more than 10,000 cases from 24 hours earlier, the UK health security agency (UKHSA) said in its latest data.

Seven people believed to have had the Omicron variant had died as of Thursday, up from one death in the UKHSA’s previous data which ran up to Tuesday. Hospitalisations of people thought to have the variant increased to 85 from 65.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan declared a “major incident” — which allows for closer coordination between different public agencies and possibly more central government support - as Covid-19 hospital admissions in the city rose by nearly 30% this week. He said health worker absences had also increased. “I’ve taken the decision, in consultation with our partners, to declare a major incident today,” Khan said during a visit to Stamford Bridge, the home of Chelsea Football Club which is being used as a mass vaccination centre. “This is a statement of how serious things are,” he said. Khan, from the opposition Labour Party, also declared a major incident in January, when rising Covid-19 cases threatened to overwhelm hospitals. The Omicron variant is estimated to account for more than 80% of new Covid cases in London, officials said on Friday.

UK’s Times newspaper reported that officials were preparing draft new rules that, if introduced, would ban indoor mixing in England except for work for two weeks after Christmas when pubs and restaurants would be limited to table service outdoors. People would be able to meet in groups of up to six outdoors, the newspaper said. But ministers were yet to formally consider the plans, Times said. A government spokesperson said the government would continue to “look closely at all the emerging data”. The total number of all new Covid-19 cases reported in official data edged down to 90,418 from a record high of over 93,000 on Friday, but that was still the country’s secondhighest daily toll. Cases were up 44.4% over the seven days to December 18 compared with the previous week.

Meanwhile, nations across Europe are moving to reimpose tougher measures to stem a new wave of Covid-19 infections spurred by the highly transmissible Omicron variant, triggering calls for protests from Paris to Barcelona. The Dutch government said it is imposing a tough nationwide lockdown starting Sunday in an attempt to rein in sharply rising levels of cases. “The Netherlands is going into lockdown again,” PM Mark Rutte said on Saturday. He said the move was “unavoidable because of the fifth wave caused by the Omicron variant that is bearing down on us”. Rutte did not immediately outline the terms of the lockdown but said it it will build on a partial lockdown already in force that requires bars, restaurants and other public places such as cinemas to close at 5pm.

As case numbers escalated, alarmed ministers in France, Cyprus and Austria tightened travel restrictions. Denmark closed theaters, concert halls, amusement parks and museums. Ireland imposed an 8pm curfew on pubs and bars and limited attendance at indoor and outdoor events. AGENCIES