LONDON: Twelve people in the UK have been killed with Omicron variants from Coronavirus, Deputy British Prime Minister Dominic Raab said on Monday, refusing to rule out tightening social restrictions before Christmas.
The UK has reported a record of the Covid-19 case level, with officials and ministers warn that the full effect of the latest waves is still not visible.
Omicron, first detected last month in South Africa and Hong Kong, has raced throughout the world and has so far been reported at least 89 countries.
This is known to be very contagious, but the severity of the disease caused is still unclear.
Apart from 12 deaths, Raab said 104 people today at the hospital with Omicron.
Officials warned last week that hospitalization could reach new highs because the effects of the latest surge work through the population.
Asked whether the government would force further restrictions before Christmas, Raab told Times Radio: “I can’t make a hard and fast guarantee.” “In assessing our situation depends on the real data that comes and will need a little more time to assess the critical problem of this omicron severity.” Every decision to limit how people can celebrate Christmas will come with high political costs for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose authority has been damaged by the question of whether he and his staff broke the locking rules last year.
Johnson also suffered a major rebellion in the parliament last week when parliamentarians from his own party pushed back hard against tightening the rules of Covid-19.
To pass the new rules, which includes ordering people to wear masks in public places, Johnson must rely on the support of the Main Opposition Party.