Stock Groups

Britain reports record COVID-19 prevalence as Omicron surges -Breaking

[ad_1]

4/4
© Reuters. One person walks by a sign to register for a clinic walk-in vaccine, during the outbreak of coronavirus disease, COVID-19, in St Albans (Britain), January 4, 2022. REUTERS/Peter Cziborra

2/4

By Alistair Smout

LONDON (Reuters – Britain has reported a record level of COVID-19 infected people for the week ending Wednesday, 2021.

An increasing number of patients has placed enormous strain on hospitals and other public services, resulting in staff shortages as well as increased admissions.

Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister has refused to impose strict lockdown measures on England. He has instead hoped that the new wave of infections will be contained by a vaccination booster drive and increased caution, even though the Omicron variant is highly transmissible.

In the past week, more than 220,000 cases of COVID-19 were reported in one day. Services and testing capacities are increasingly being under pressure.

According to the Office for National Statistics, England’s COVID-19 prevalence rate was 1 in 15. This is more than 6% higher than the prior week’s estimate.

The ONS data also revealed a record level of infection in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. All told, the United Kingdom had nearly 37.5 million infected people.

London has seen the greatest impact of Omicron, with 1 in 10 Londoners having tested positive.

Johnson claimed Tuesday that England was able to “ride through” the increase in COVID-19-related infections. Thanks to vaccinations, and evidence that Omicron’s milder form than the previous versions, Johnson also stated that England has the potential to “ride it out”.

He warned that staff absences could cause significant disruption as self-isolating people can become isolated. Later Wednesday, he’ll update Parliament on the COVID-19 Strategy.

On Wednesday, the UK Health Security Agency stated that those who have not been diagnosed with COVID-19 will no longer need to be confirmed by a PCR test. This is a step to reduce the strain on the system.

Disclaimer: Fusion MediaThis website does not provide accurate and current data. CFDs include stocks, indexes and futures. Prices are provided not by the exchanges. Market makers provide them. Therefore, prices can be inaccurate and differ from actual market prices. These prices should not be used for trading. Fusion Media does not accept any liability for trade losses you may incur due to the use of these data.

Fusion MediaFusion Media and anyone associated with it will not assume any responsibility for losses or damages arising from the use of this information. This includes data including charts and buy/sell signal signals. You should be aware of all the potential risks and expenses associated with trading in the financial market. It is among the most dangerous investment types.

[ad_2]