New Delhi: The United Kingdom has recorded its first Covid death due to the Omicron variant, Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed to the press in London Monday, adding that people need to set aside the idea that the variant is a milder version of the virus.
“Sadly, yes, Omicron is producing hospitalisations, and sadly, at least one patient has been confirmed to have died with Omicron,” he told journalists.
“I think the idea that this is somehow a milder version of the virus… That’s something we need to set on one side and just recognise the sheer pace at which it accelerates through the population,” Johnson added.
So far, doctors from South Africa, who had first identified the new SARS-CoV-2 variant, have been reiterating that Omicron causes mild symptoms.
While the Delta variant continues to dominate in terms of new infections across the world, the emergence of Omicron has authorities worried as initial reports suggested that the variant may evade antibodies induced by vaccines or previous infections.
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‘Best thing’ to do is get booster shot
Johnson said the new variant was also resulting in hospital admissions and the “best thing” people could do was get their booster shot. On Sunday, the PM had set a new target for all adults in England to be offered a booster shot (a third dose) by the end of the month.
However, research on whether booster shots can help fight the new variant is still underway. While vaccine manufacturers suggest that a booster dose can help protect against the emerging variant, experts in the World Health Organization (WHO) are of the view that the priority for the entire world should be to make sure that all populations — including those in developing nations — get two doses first to stem the emergence of new variants.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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