UK raises COVID alert level as Omicron variant rises | Coronavirus pandemic News

The UK has raised its COVID alert level due to the “rapid rise” in cases of the Omicron variant, according to four doctors in the country.

The advisers said on Sunday that the public health risk assessment would go from three to four levels – the second highest level – which indicates that “transmission is high and the pressure on health services is widespread and significant or rising”.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is under pressure for his and his staff’s demands He overcame the restrictions of COVID-19 last Christmas, was to give a national conference in the evening.

He was expected to speak on the country’s promotion program.

The decision to raise the five-phase public health risk assessment from three to four levels confirmed another 1,239 cases of the variant after it was registered on Sunday.

This brought Omicron’s UK number of cases to 3,137, an increase of 65 per cent on Saturday’s total of 1,898.

The UK started in June to alleviate coronavirus reductions and the alert level was in its third phase, which means the pandemic is in general circulation.

Four doctors in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland said the move was driven by advice from the UK Health Safety Agency, a public health organization.

“The transmission of COVID-19 is already high in the community, especially driven by Delta, but the emergence of Omicron poses an additional and rapid risk to public and health services,” they said in a joint statement.

“Early evidence shows that it is spreading much faster than the Omicron Delta and that the protection against the Omicron symptomatic disease vaccine is being reduced.

“Data on the severity will be clearer in the coming weeks, but Omicron’s hospitalizations are already underway and these are likely to increase rapidly.”

The World Health Organization also said on Sunday that it was more transmissible than the stray Omicron Delta and that it had reduced the effectiveness of the vaccine, but that according to initial data it had caused more severe symptoms.

UK officials said boosters were essential as vaccine protection was reduced with Omicron, and the two third jabs used – Pfizer and Moderna – boosted the immune response and showed “good effectiveness”.

This move was designed to reduce pressure from the state’s National Health Service (NHS), which fights seasonal respiratory infections.

New measures

The government had earlier announced additional measures to halt Omicron’s deployment last Friday after forcibly imposing masks in many public places inside.

As of Tuesday, fully embedded contacts will be required to perform daily side-flow tests on people who test positive for COVID for seven days.

But those who have not had one or two shots of the COVID vaccine will have to self-isolate for 10 days, the Department of Health and Social Care said.

“The Omicron variant is gaining momentum in the UK and is expected to become a major strain by mid-December,” said Health Secretary Sajid Javid.

“We are taking more proportionate and practical measures to limit the impact on people’s daily lives while helping to reduce the spread of Omicron.”

By the end of January, the government has set a goal of giving a promotion jab to everyone over the age of 18 and has opened the program for those over the age of 30 from Tuesday.

The announcement includes proposals to address Johnson’s Omicron, including returning home from work on Monday and the inclusion of vaccine passports in certain settings from Wednesday.

Parliament will vote on the bill on Tuesday because Johnson will face a major uprising from his Conservative colleagues.

The vote, however, may be passed with the help of Labor.

The UK – one of the countries with more than 146,000 deaths at COVID-19 – launched a mass vaccination campaign more than a year ago.

The infection rate remains very high with around 50,000 positive tests per day. In London, Omicron accounts for one-third of all COVID-19 cases.

The Delta variant, first identified in India earlier this year, is now responsible for most of the world’s coronavirus infections.

Discovery of Omicron in South Africa – with many mutations – in the last month it has pushed countries around the world enforce travel bans Restrictions in southern African countries and internal restrictions have been re-established to slow its spread.

The WHO said Omicron had been extended to 63 countries since December 9. Faster transmission was noticed in South Africa, where the Delta is less dominant, and in the United Kingdom, where the Delta is the main strain.