With New Year's celebrations right around the corner, Health Minister, Sajid Javid, took the time to address the nation to reassure them that no further restrictions would be put into place.
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Omicron has taken over England
However, though this provided some relief for Brits looking to let loose and celebrate, he also revealed that 90% of all cases of coronavirus in England are a product of the Omicron variant.
Meaning the variant has had the opportunity to spread exponentially across the UK in a little over a month's time. The Health Minister also said that a considerable majority of all positive cases are linked back to unvaccinated people. In a statement made to Sky News, he said:
We get the very best advice from our scientists, NHS and we put all that together. And whilst of course, there is some uncertainty around this variant it is growing fast. We think some 90% of cases now across England are this now Omicron variant. It shows you just how quickly it has spread.
Although currently no further COVID restrictions are expected to be introduced to Brits before the new year, booster jabs are being urged to be taken to prevent the further spread of the virus. Javid said:
There will be no further measures before the new year. We won't be taking any further measures. Of course, people should remain cautious as we approach New Year celebrations.
And added:
While there is still a lot of uncertainty around this new variant, we do know that our very best form of defence is vaccination.
What have the latest studies revealed about Omicron?
The most up-to-date research has found the Omicron strain to be much milder in the severity of symptoms than other variants, despite being more transmissible. According to figures, people who become infected with the Omicron variant are 50 to 70 percent less likely to require hospitalisation than they are with the Delta mutation.
