NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday launched an urgent national appeal calling for people to get jabbed saying “A tidal wave of Omicron is coming”.

It comes as the UK Chief Medical Officers have Sunday increased the UK Covid Alert Level from Level 3 to Level 4 due to a rapid increase in cases of the Omicron variant.

The latest data suggests Omicron is extremely transmissible and will become the dominant variant by mid-December. Cases are now doubling every 2 to 3 days.

UK Health Security Agency reported today 1576 additional confirmed cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 have been reported across the UK. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 Omicron cases in the UK is 4713.

The vast majority of cases were reported in England (4487).

Data published on Friday suggests that vaccine efficacy against symptomatic infection is substantially reduced against Omicron with just two doses, but a third dose boosts protection back up to over 70%.

Today, Johnson confirmed that at least one patient infected with the new omicron variant of Covid-19 has died in the country. It’s the first publicly confirmed death globally from the new variant.