Hospitals will come under “significant” pressure in the coming weeks in Britain over the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, but ruled out new restrictions.

“We have to acknowledge that the pressure on the NHS (public health authority) in our hospitals will be significant over the next two weeks and maybe more,” he said on the sidelines of a visit to a vaccination center in England.

“Undoubtedly, Omicron continues to sweep the country,” he added, but it is “obviously less contagious” compared to other variants such as Alpha and Delta.

Britain, one of the worst-hit countries with nearly 140,000 deaths from the pandemic, is facing an outbreak of infections (more than 137,000 cases in England and Wales yesterday) attributed to Omicron.

However, Boris Johnson ruled out imposing new restrictions outside of teleworking and mask use already in place, citing a test and a booster mass vaccination campaign, which he said allowed an additional dose in 76% of adults.

“The combination of things we are doing right now is, I think, good,” he said.

“Unfortunately, the majority of people in the intensive care unit have not been vaccinated and the vast majority, about 90%, have not received a booster dose,” he added, calling on citizens to be vaccinated once again.

To stop Omicron, the government decided, however, to recommend the use of the mask in the classroom for high school students from this week.

The Daily Telegraph also wrote on Saturday that the telecommuting recommendation could be extended in January, a measure that has been in force since mid-December.

Source: AMPE