Britain raises coronavirus threat level

The British government raised the country’s official coronavirus threat level on Sunday, warning that the rapid spread of the omicron variant has pushed the UK into risky territory.

The medical directors of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland noted that the emergence of the new highly transmissible strain “adds additional and rapidly increasing risk to the public and healthcare services”At a time when COVID-19 is already widespread. They recommended raising the alert level from 3 to 4 on a 5-point scale. The maximum level indicates that authorities believe the health care system is about to be overwhelmed.

Doctors argue that preliminary evidence shows that omicron is spreading much faster than the delta variant and that vaccines offer less protection against it. Authorities believe omicron is likely to replace Delta as the dominant strain in the UK in a few days.

“Data on severity will become clearer in the coming weeks, but omicron hospitalizations are already occurring and are likely to increase rapidly.”They said.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will deliver a message on the coronavirus situation in Britain and the booster vaccination campaign on Sunday night.

Scientists in South Africa, where omicron was first identified, say they see signs that it may cause a less serious disease than delta, but caution that it is too early to be sure.

The UK Health Safety Agency warned on Friday that the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines appear less effective in preventing symptomatic infections in people exposed to omicron, although preliminary data shows that effectiveness appears to increase by between 70% and 75% after a booster. .