Boris Johnson in coronavirus booster plea as UK logs record cases

LONDON — Boris Johnson urged Britons to “keep giving Omicron both barrels” as the U.K. reached a record 78,610 confirmed daily cases of COVID-19.

The number of cases of Omicron is now doubling fewer than every two days in some regions of the country, and, Johnson warned, rising numbers will lead to an “inevitable increase in hospitalizations,” which are up by 10 percent nationally week-on-week. Hospitalizations are up by almost a third in London, he added.

Speaking alongside Johnson at the Downing Street press conference, England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said: “This is a record number of cases. I’m afraid we have to be realistic that records will be broken a lot over the next few weeks as the rates continue to go up.”

Johnson, who has taken flak from his own party this week after ramping up coronavirus restrictions, defended rules which allow contacts of those with COVID-19 to avoid isolation by taking daily tests.

“We want to keep supply chains running. We need to keep things moving and a ‘pingdemic’ would really make things much more difficult,” he said.

The U.K. leader also used the press conference to make a direct plea for more volunteers to administer jabs, urging people to “do something this Christmas you can tell your grandchildren about many Christmases from now.”

He defended the current level of restrictions in England, saying that “given the balance of risks and the balance of continuing uncertainties about Omicron, this is the right approach to take.”

But he urged people to continue to wear face masks indoors, use ventilation, and to get tested if they are going to an event where they are likely to meet lots of people, or meet elderly or vulnerable relatives.

Earlier on Wednesday, the head of the UK Health Security Agency Susan Hopkins warned the Omicron variant was “probably the most significant threat” since the pandemic began.

Whitty cautioned against over-interpreting research from South Africa that Omicron is a milder disease with fewer hospitalizations.

“I want to be clear. I’m afraid this is going to be a problem,” he said.

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