UK records 93,045 Covid cases as Omicron becomes dominant strain

Britain reported record COVID-19 infections for the third consecutive day on Friday, with a rise to 93,045 new cases fuelled by the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of the virus. The latest data brings the total number of infections during the pandemic to more than 11.1 million, while the UK also registered a further 111 deaths from the virus, taking the death toll to more than 147,000. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said there were 65 patients in England's hospitals with Omicron.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Omicron is now the country's dominant coronavirus strain, adding "the tsunami I warned about a week ago is now starting to hit us". And Welsh leader Mark Drakeford told citizens to brace for the "storm of Omicron" having announced the country's nightclubs will close after December 26 and social distancing reintroduced in shops and workplaces. In England, the R number, which measures the rate of infection, has risen to between 1.0 and 1.2, compared with last week when it was estimated at between 0.9 and 1.1. It means every 10 people infected are likely to pass the disease to between 10 and 12 others. When the value is above 1.0, it means the epidemic is thought to be growing.

Britain is currently rolling out a mass booster drive in order to vaccinate as many people as possible before the end of the year. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the aim was to "try to make sure that we not only have the fastest vaccine rollout in Europe" but also "to avert some of the more damaging consequences of Omicron". Meanwhile, the study from Imperial College London shows that vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic Omicron infection of between 0 per cent and 20 per cent after two jabs, and between 55 per cent and 80 per cent after a booster dose. Researchers say the risk of reinfection with Omicron is 5.4 times greater than that of Delta, and Omicron is likely to have the same severity but hospital data remains "very limited".