A new squeeze on the Omicron variant by December 18 or hospitals will go haywire in the UK. The alarm is triggered, as reported by The Guardian newspaper, on the basis of a confidential report from the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA): even if the Omicron variant were to cause milder symptoms than the Delta, up to 5,000 hospitalizations a day would be risked .
Too many for the hospital network, as was explained to Health Minister Sajid Javid. “Strict measures are needed by December 18” if Omicron-induced infections continue to double every 2.5 days. “Even if the interval goes up to 5 days, strict measures would still be needed in December,” the document said. “The rapid roll-out of Omicron means action to reduce the pressure on the healthcare system should materialize sooner than assumed.” Omicron could become dominant soon, with the prospect of a million cases linked to the variant by the end of the month.
In short, the turning point that has just materialized with the ‘plan B’ launched by Prime Minister Boris Johnson would not be enough. Since yesterday, masks have been mandatory in most of the indoor gathering places: cinemas, theaters, churches, museums and sports facilities, such as stadiums and arenas. From Monday, the return to smart working is urged.
The numbers of the Great Britain bulletin, on the other hand, leave little space and interpretation: another 58,194 infections and 120 deaths in the last 24 hours, with the highest increase in infections since January 9th. In addition, 448 cases of the Omicron variant were confirmed. Since it first appeared in the country, 1,265 cases have been caused by this variant.
In Scotland, there are fears of a “potential tsunami of contagion”. Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon predicts that Omicron will “unleash” among the population due to its rapid and superior contagiousness. For this, he called on citizens to reconsider plans for the holiday season and asked contacts of positive subjects to self-isolate for ten days regardless of whether they are vaccinated or have had a negative test result.
“We are facing a very severe new challenge facing the new Omicron variant,” he added. Omicron is likely to become the dominant variant of Covid-19 in Scotland within “days, not weeks,” he said.
#Omicron #variant #hospital #alarm #risk #hospitalizations #day
