The speed with which the Omicron variant spread across the Channel seems to have taken the British government by surprise.
"An Omicron tidal wave is coming" in the United Kingdom, warned Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday, announcing a strong acceleration of the vaccine booster campaign to counter it.
"I am concerned that it is now clear that two doses of the vaccine are not enough to provide the level of protection we all need," Boris Johnson added in a televised address.
"But the good news is that our scientists are convinced that with a third dose - a booster dose - we can all increase our level of protection."
Banking on this third dose to avoid overwhelming hospitals and paralyzing the economy, Boris Johnson announced that the goal of offering this booster shot to everyone over 18 in England was one month forward.
They will now be able to benefit from it before the New Year.
Read alsoCovid-19: but why is the Omicron variant transmitted so easily?
The other nations of the United Kingdom (Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales) will also speed up their vaccination programs. To accompany this commotion of combat, the vaccination centers should multiply, their hours will be extended, soldiers will be deployed, and thousands of vaccinators will be trained, detailed the conservative leader.
Earlier today, the British government announced a series of measures to counter the spread of the new variant, which originated in southern Africa.
From Tuesday, fully vaccinated contact cases of people who test positive for Covid-19 will, for example, be asked to perform antigenic tests daily for seven days, while those who are not vaccinated must remain isolated for ten days, announced the Ministry of Health.
Other measures such as a return to telework and the introduction of the health passport in certain places have been decided.
65% increase
Detected in the UK just over two weeks ago, Omicron should be the dominant variant within days, the government believes. Officially, the number of cases of Omicron recorded in the United Kingdom reached 3,137, an increase of 65% from the total of 1,898 cases recorded on Saturday, but the actual number of cases would actually be much higher. British Minister of Health Sajid Javid on Wednesday estimated the total number of infections at Omicron at nearly 10,000 in the country. However, according to the group of scientists advising the government, this variant could cause between 25,000 and 75,000 additional deaths by April in England if no new restriction measures were taken, The Guardian reported on Saturday.
Faced with this situation, the alert level has been raised from three to four, the second highest level, which indicates that "transmission is high" and that the pressure on health services is "significant or increasing. ".
"Early evidence shows that Omicron is spreading much faster than Delta and that vaccine protection against symptomatic diseases of Omicron is reduced," health officials from England, Scotland, Wales stressed. and Northern Ireland in a joint statement.
Omicron's severity “will be clearer over the next few weeks,” but they note that there are “already” hospitalizations due to Omicron and that it is “likely” that their numbers are “increasing rapidly”.
Defiance of the Conservatives
Submitted to a vote by deputies on Tuesday, these new measures should be adopted thanks to the support of the opposition Labor party, but Boris Johnson is exposed to the mistrust of part of his conservative camp.
Among the rebels, MP Steve Baker considered the additional restrictions "disproportionate".
He said on SkyNews that like him, around 60 Conservative MPs will vote against the new measures.
In addition to this sling in his ranks, Boris Johnson is weakened by a series of scandals linked to supposed parties in Downing Street last winter, when the British were supposed to limit social interactions to prevent the spread of the virus.