The UK has recorded the first death of a patient who contracted the Omicron variant.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the UK’s first Omicron fatality during a visit to a vaccination clinic near Paddington in west London on Monday morning. Dec. 13.
“Sadly, yes, Omicron is producing hospitalisations and sadly at least one patient has been confirmed to have died with Omicron,” he said.
“So I think the idea that this is somehow a milder version of the virus, I think that’s something we need to set on one side and just recognise the sheer pace at which it accelerates through the population. So the best thing we can do is all get our boosters.”
Boris Johnson said that Omicron now represents about 40% of coronavirus cases in London.
He told broadcasters: “The risk is plainly there, we can see Omicron spiking now in London and some other parts of the country.