Guy Faulconbridge, Alistair Smout

LONDON (Reuters] -Amid a surge in Omicron variant cases that have caused record numbers of coronavirus deaths and hampered staffing levels at hospitals, Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister will be holding a COVID-19 press conference.

Johnson decided to resist imposing strict restrictions in England prior to New Year. Omicron caused an increase in cases. Johnson was betting that the vaccine booster drive would help contain the new wave.

Johnson had warned on Monday, however, that hospitals could be subject to severe pressure within the coming weeks.

Admissions are up since December, but they don’t reflect the trend of daily cases. It could also be because of the effects of vaccinations and booster shots as well as the possible lower severity Omicron infection and the longer time it takes for people to get admitted.

Maggie Throup, the vaccines minister, had earlier downplayed the necessity for additional measures, even though the increase in cases has caused staff shortages and disrupted services for schools, hospitals and trains.

“At this moment, if we look at people who are currently in hospital, they’re going in with less severe condition than before,” Throup said to Sky News. He also stated that Johnson’s “Plan B”, which was introduced December, is working.

“The number of patients in hospitals is only half the amount it was one year ago, which just goes to show the effectiveness of the vaccine.”

Neil Ferguson, an Imperial College London epidemiologist, stated that while London’s under-50s have seen a plateau in their infections, it has not had the time for them to spread to more senior age groups that are more susceptible to COVID-19.

Hospitalisations could be changing. He said that hospitalisations continue to rise across the country and that we could see higher levels in the coming weeks.” BBC Radio.

“Vaccination has been holding steady in terms of protecting against severe diseases, helped by Omicron being substantially less severe but still putting pressures on our health system.”