Britain hikes virus alert level amid Omicron surge
Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Monday that Britain faces a “tidal wave” of infections from the Omicron coronavirus variant, and announced a huge increase in booster vaccinations to strengthen defences against it.
He announced a “national mission” to deliver booster vaccines, with pop-up vaccination centres and seven-day-a-week getting extra support from teams of military planners and thousands of volunteer vaccinators. More than 80 per cent of people aged 12 and older in Britain have received two doses of vaccine, and 40 per cent of adults have had three doses. Giving the rest a booster in the next three weeks will be a huge challenge, requiring almost 1 million doses delivered a day. Johnson acknowledged that many routine medical procedures would have to be postponed to meet the goal.
The doctors said early evidence showed Omicron was spreading much faster than the currently dominant Delta variant, and that vaccines offered less protection against it. British officials say Omicron is likely to replace Delta as the dominant strain in the UK within days.
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