Omicron scare: UK preparing for million cases as new COVID variant continues to spread

UK has warned its citizens to prepare for one million cases by the end of the month as the number of Omicron cases continues to surge. UK health secretary Sajid Javid said in a statement to the House of Commons that there were 568 verified cases of the Omicron variant, but that the current estimate is probably closer to 10,000, as per the reports of The Guardian. He further stated that the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) thinks that the number of infections is around 20 times larger than the number of confirmed cases, and hence the current number of illnesses is probably closer to 10,000.

He also said that the UKHSA believed that the Omicron infections might approach one million by the end of this month if restrictions had no effect on Omicron. Javid stated that Omicron is more transmissible than Delta, but that there is still more to learn about the new variant. He claimed that cases of the Delta variant had more than doubled in seven days and that Omicron is spreading even faster.

Scientists give scathing outline of potential repercussions

The warning came after scientists gave politicians a scathing outline of the potential repercussions of failing to take measures to stop the spread of the virus on Tuesday, according to the Guardian. The Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling advisory committee predicted in a statement on Tuesday that there is the potential for a very substantial peak of infections much larger than occurred during the winter wave of January 2021.

Dr Susan Hopkins, UKHSA Chief Medical Advisor, stated that it is becoming increasingly clear that Omicron is highly infectious and it is vital that people do everything they can to break the chains of transmission and slow the spread of this new variant, according to Sky News. She further stated that vaccination is crucial to helping from becoming extremely ill from this new variant. She then urged people to receive their first, second or booster vaccinations as soon as possible.

PM Boris Johnson announces stricter curbs

On the other hand, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced stronger restrictions on Wednesday to combat the spread of the omicron variant, urging individuals in England to resume working from home and enforcing COVID-19 cards for entry into nightclubs and other gatherings. According to AP News, Johnson said that it was necessary to apply tighter restrictions to prevent an increase in hospitalizations and deaths.