LODDON, Dec 24 – Britain reported another day of the COVID-19 cases on Friday, with new estimates showing the London population is infected, emphasizing the ongoing continuation of the Omicron diversity.
Omicron’s rapid spread has led to an increase in cases over the past seven days, especially in the capital.
Nearly one in 20 Londoners who may have COVID-19 on December 16 and previous estimates – which cannot be revised – suggest that this may increase to one in 10 on Sunday, models from the National Bureau of Statistics (ONS) showed on Friday.
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Many industries and transport networks are experiencing staff shortages as sick workers isolate themselves, and British hospitals have warned of the dangers of contributing to patient safety.
However, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who played a key role in politics for Christmas 2021 “is much better” than last year, on Tuesday issued new restrictions before the actual day, saying there was uncertainty about the difficulty of Omicron hospitalization rates.
Government records show 122,186 new cases, up from 119,789 on Thursday and marking the third day of more than 100,000 cases.
Buyers walking down Oxford Street, during the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) in London, Britain, December 23, 2021. REUTERS / Henry Nicholls
People standing inside Kings Cross Station on Christmas Eve, during the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) in London, Britain, December 24, 2021. REUTERS / Henry Nicholls
A man holds a Christmas tree during an outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Fulham, London, Britain on December 24, 2021.
While a recent study by Omicron suggested that it has a lower hospitalization rate than the previous version of COVID-19, health officials have kept a careful note about the concept.
“There is a glimmer of Christmas hope … but it has not yet reached the point where we can reduce that threat,” Jenny Harries, head of the UK Health Security Agency, told the BBC.
“We now have a good balance between something that looks like a low risk of hospitalization – which is good news – but equally the most contagious alternative and we know it protects some of our immune defenses.”
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The government reported on Friday that 137 young people had died within 28 days of testing for COVID-19, down from 147 on Thursday, bringing the number of epidemics to 147,857 – the highest in Europe.
The ONS said population growth had increased in all parts of the United Kingdom, with Scotland showing a very low infection rate of 1 in 65 people on December 19.
ONS estimates showed that about 1 in 35 people in England – equivalent to 1.54 million people – were infected with COVID-19 within six days to December 19.
Early modeling for the next few days suggested it could rise to more than 2 million people on Sunday, or about one in 25.