Britain said on Monday (13) that the Ômicron coronavirus variant was spreading at a “phenomenal rate” and now accounted for about 40% of infections in London.
The country’s authorities also warned about the need for people to receive a booster dose because those vaccinated with two doses are still vulnerable.
Since the first cases of Ômicron were detected on Nov. 27 in the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has imposed tougher restrictions. The prime minister said on Sunday (12) that a “giant wave” of Ômicron was coming.
Britain says that unless action is taken, there could be a million people infected with Ômicron by the end of the month.
“It’s spreading at a phenomenal rate, something we’ve never seen before, it’s doubling every two or three days,” Health Secretary Sajid Javid told Sky News television channel.
“This means that we are facing a wave of infection, we are once again in a race between the vaccine and the virus.”
The pound was down 0.4% to $1.3225, while holding steady against the euro at 85.29 pence the British cent.
Johnson, who is fighting an uprising in his party over measures to curb Ômicron and a protest over alleged parties at his Downing Street office during last year’s blockades, said people should rush to get booster shots to protect “our freedoms and our way of life”
After Covid-19 was first detected in China in late 2019, it faced criticism for initially resisting the blockade.
He was also criticized for overseeing errors in transferring patients to nursing homes and for building an expensive testing and tracking system that failed to prevent a second deadly wave.
Johnson has repeatedly said that while mistakes were made, the government was making decisions at the pace of the biggest public health crisis in generations, and that his government was quick to roll out vaccines.
Worldwide, Covid has killed 5.3 million people, wiped out trillions of dollars in economic production, and turned normal life upside down for many. In the UK, more than 146,000 people have died from the disease.
In update
Reference: CNN Brasil
