COVID-19 deaths in UK over 150,000 after Omicron rises

LONDON (Reuters) – The UK’s COVID-19 pandemic has risen to more than 150,000 on Saturday, government figures show after a record wave of cases caused by the Omicron variant.

There were about 313 deaths on Saturday within 28 days of the positive COVID-19 test, bringing the death toll to 150,057.

A more accurate but less accurate measurement of deaths on COVID-19 in the death certificate (which included deaths at the beginning of the pandemic when tests were limited) was 173,248 in the latest data on 24 December.

The UK has seen a rise in cases associated with the Omicron coronavirus variant in recent weeks, although the death rate has been lower than in previous waves of infections.

The UK government has focused on expanding revitalization vaccines – which have reached more than 60% of the population – rather than calling for a return to the blockade measures seen earlier in the pandemic.

About 1,227 million people tested positive for COVID-19 in the last seven days, 11% more than the previous week, and the number of weekly deaths rose by 38% in the previous week to 1,271.

There are tentative indications that the number of new cases could go up, with 146,390 new cases reported on Saturday, down from a record 218,724 recorded on January 4th.

The cumulative death toll in Britain is at the second highest level in Europe, behind Russia.

But per person, the United States, Italy, Belgium, and several Eastern European countries have higher cumulative death rates. The UK death rate is 7% higher than the European Union average, according to data compiled by Our World in Data.