Britain Has expanded their booster dose program, amid Omicron, and first death due to this new variant of COVID.
London: UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday has confirmed the world’s first Omicron death, as Britain expanded its booster program for all aged 30 and above. Johnson told reporters that “at least one patient has been confirmed to have died with Omicron”. The confirmation comes amid reports of the new variant of concern causing mild disease as compared to the Delta, which is currently the dominant strain globally.
In a briefing, the World Health Organization has said that Omicron is more transmissible than the Delta strain and reduces vaccine efficacy but causes less severe symptoms. The UN health agency report stated that the Omicron variant has been detected in at least 63 countries as of December 9.
“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 recognize the sheer pace at which it accelerates through the population,” Johnson said.
Amid this, UK’s National Health Service has taken a call and expanded its vaccine booster program from Monday after the country’s health security agency found that the additional dose of the Covid vaccine significantly restores protection against mild disease caused by Omicron. But users are facing issues with the booking system amid high demand for booster shots.
“The COVID vaccine booking service is currently facing extremely high demand so is operating a queuing system. For users aged 18-29, please be aware that booking opens on Wednesday 15 Dec. For all others experiencing waits, we would advise trying again later today or tomorrow,” UK NHS wrote on Twitter.
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