LONDON (AP) – The U.K. recorded the highest number of confirmed new COVID-19 infections Wednesday since the pandemic began, and England’s chief medical officer warned the situation is likely to get worse as the omicron variant drives a new wave of illness during the Christmas holidays.
Professor Chris Whitty described the current situation as two epidemics in one – with omicron infections rising rapidly even as the country continues to grapple with the older delta variant, which is still causing a large number of infections. Public health officials expect omicron to become the dominant variant across the U.K. within days. Omicron already accounts for a majority of cases in London.
The U.K. recorded 78,610 new infections on Wednesday, 16% higher than the previous record set in January. While scientists are still studying the risks posed by the highly transmissible omicron variant, Witty said the public should be braced for the figures to continue rising in the coming weeks.
“There are several things we don’t know,’’ Whitty said. “But all the things we do know are bad, the principal one being the speed at which this is moving. It is moving at an absolutely phenomenal pace.’’
The comments came on the day that the U.K. government implemented new rules ordering masks to be worn in most indoor settings in England and requiring proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test to enter nightclubs and large crowded events.
Britain is also accelerating its national vaccination program, with a goal of offering a booster dose to every adult by the end of December. The government said within days it will open new mass vaccination centers at sports stadiums around the country, including Wembley, the 90,000-seat national soccer stadium in London.
Whitty advised people to limit their social contacts, putting a priority on those that are the most important.
“I am afraid there will be an increasing number of omicron patients going into the NHS, going into hospital, going into intensive care, and exact ratios we don’t yet know, but there will be substantial numbers,’’ he said. “That will begin to become apparent, in my view, fairly soon after Christmas.”
Despite the surge in infections, daily coronavirus-related deaths in the U.K. are well below last winter’s peak. Britain recorded 165 deaths on Wednesday, compared with a record 1,820 on Jan. 20.
Public health officials credit widespread vaccination with weakening the link between COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths.
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