Johnson swears faster booster jabs while warning of ‘Omicron wave’ | Coronavirus pandemic News

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom says that all those over the age of 18 will be offered a third vaccine by the end of this month to fight Omicron.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the UK was facing a “wave” of infections Omicron coronavirus variant, and announced a sharp rise in invalid vaccines to strengthen defenses against it.

“No one should be hesitant: a wave of Omicron is coming,” he said in a televised speech on Sunday, following the country’s medical advisers. COVID has raised the alert level due to the “rapid increase” in the variant infection that originated in South Africa last month.

In his speech, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom announced that all those over the age of 18 will be offered a third vaccine by the end of this month in response to Omicron’s “emergency”. The previous goal was the end of January.

“I am afraid that we are now facing an emergency in our struggle with the new Omicron variant, and that we need to strengthen the urgent protective wall of our vaccines to keep our friends and loved ones safe,” he said, adding that these are very cases. transmission variants are doubled every two to three days.

Booster jab update. https://t.co/73NbmmhTiP

– Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) December 12, 2021

Johnson said “it is now clear that two doses of vaccine are not enough” to fully protect against the new variant.

However, he said: “Our scientists they are confident that with a third dose, a booster dose, we can all regain our level of protection. “

He announced a “national mission” to deliver booster vaccines, with support from pop-up vaccination centers, seven-day clinics a week with support from military planning teams and thousands of volunteer vaccinators.

The announcement came after a photo of Johnson was created on Sunday, colleagues organized a Christmas quiz on Downing Street last year while London was on coronavirus restrictions.

Johnson’s December 31 goal applies to England. Vaccination campaigns are expected to accelerate in the rest of the UK – Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Scientists in the UK believe that existing vaccines do not seem to be effective in preventing symptomatic infections in people affected by Omicron, although initial data show that the effectiveness seems to increase by 70 to 75 per cent after a third dose of vaccine.

Health advisers in the UK said earlier on Sunday that the public health risk assessment would go from three to four – the second highest – which indicates that “transmission is high and the pressure on health services is widespread and growing or rising”.

Doctors in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland said the outbreak of the highly transmissible strain “increases the risk of additional and rapid risk to the public and health services” at a time when COVID-19 is already widespread.

Doctors said early evidence shows that Omicron is spreading much faster than the Delta variant that is prevalent today, and that vaccines offer less protection against it. British officials have said that Omicron will replace the Delta as the main strain in the UK in a few days.

Concerns about the new tension led to the reinstatement of the cuts that Johnson’s Conservative government removed almost six months ago. Masks should be used in most indoor environments, COVID-19 certificates should be shown to enter the nightclub, and people should be called to work from home if possible.

Many scientists have said that this is unlikely to happen, however, and are calling for tougher measures, which the government has so far tackled.

South African scientists, where Omicron was first identified, say they see signs that it could cause less serious disease than the Delta, but have warned it is too early to confirm.