New record of cases: 78 thousand in one day, 10 thousand more than the previous 24 hours. Total confirmed Omicron cases are already 10,017 – but that’s an underestimated figure. And the increased circulation of the variant will prompt many to spend Christmas in solitary confinement
LONDON – A lonely Christmas for a million British citizens. These are the forecasts of the experts regarding the rapid expansion of the Omicron variant close to the festivitiese.
Cases of Covid – where Omicron is fast becoming the prevalent variant – are on the rise. Official data today speak of 78 thousand new confirmed infections, about 10 thousand more than the previous day: a figure that exceeds the previous record, of last January, of 68,053 positivity. The cases of Omicron are at least 10,017: but the experts are sure that this is an underestimated figure.
Professor Chris Whitty, public health coordinator for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, one of the most influential British voices of the pandemic, warned that the transmission of the new variant “is incredibly fast”.
Given that the cases they double approximately every 48 hours and that those who test positive are required to observe a ten-day quarantine period, at Christmas there could be one million citizens in solitary confinement.
This, said Whitty, will have repercussions on the hospitality sector – fewer customers so fewer cooks and waiters – but also on transport and on shops and supermarkets, where some items may again be missing.
For health minister Sajid Javid “there is a real risk” that the health system will be overwhelmed by the new wave of the virus: in London, where Omicron is the first variant for cases, hospitalizations have increased by 50% compared to the average for this time of year, 90 to 140 per day.
For Jenny Harries, head of the health system safety net as well as the case tracking system, “the variant represents the most serious threat since the beginning of the pandemic.”
If Boris Johnson – who will deliver his third speech to the nation in just a few days today – and his ministers continue to ask for caution, the premier’s credibility has suffered a severe blow with the scandal over the Christmas parties organized last year, in full lockdown, Downing Street, Conservative Party Headquarters and the School Department.
Last night the House of Commons approved new anti-Covid measures – including the requirement of a Green Pass in some venues and for some events – but 99 conservatives voted against the government, an unprecedented rebellion for this prime minister. Johnson will have to contend with the electorate on Thursday over the North Shropshire roundups triggered by Owen Paterson’s resignation. It has always been a conservative seat and the defeat of the Tories would be the definitive proof that the public is tired.
December 15, 2021 (change December 15, 2021 | 17:39)
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