The UK has recorded its higher-ever number of coronavirus cases, with 78,610 registered in the latest 24-hour period.
England’s chief medical officer warned of worse to come as the Omicron variant continues to spread at an “absolutely phenomenal pace” across the country.
Speaking at a Downing Street news conference, Professor Chris Whitty said daily COVID-19 case records “will be broken a lot over the next few weeks as the rates continue to go up”.
These would translate into “big numbers” being treated in hospital in the coming weeks, he said.
“I’m afraid there will be an increasing number of Omicron patients going into the NHS, going into hospital, going into intensive care,” Prof Whitty said.
“The exact ratios we don’t yet know, but there will be substantial numbers and that will begin to become apparent, in my view, fairly soon after Christmas.
“It will start before then but, in terms of the big numbers, I think that’s a reasonably, I’m afraid, a reasonably nailed on prospect.”
Public advised to limit social contacts
Prof Whitty said the UK faced “a really serious threat at the moment” and suggested that Britons should “deprioritise” certain social contacts.
He suggested people limit their interactions with others in the run-up to Christmas, echoing comments made by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in which he told people to “think carefully” before attending social events.
“I think what most people are doing – and I think this seems very sensible – is prioritising the social interactions that mean a lot to them and, to prioritise those ones, de-prioritising ones that mean much less to them,” Prof Whitty said.
Dr Nikki Kanani, medical director of primary care for NHS England, advised people to stay away from…
Source : skynews
