Britain reports one death from Omicron as it launches booster programme

LONDON • At least one person has died in Britain after being infected with the Omicron variant, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said yesterday, as the country launched an ambitious Covid-19 booster shot programme to stop the virus' spread.

Britain - among the countries worst hit by the global health crisis since last year - is the first government to officially announce a death from the virus mutation. The Omicron variant has been reported in more than 60 countries.

Britain gave no details on the death or whether the patient had been vaccinated or had underlying health issues.

Deaths from Omicron may have occurred in other countries, but none has been publicly confirmed yet outside Britain.

On a visit to a vaccination centre in west London, Mr Johnson said Omicron accounted for about 40 per cent of the cases in the British capital, and hospital admissions were rising.

"Sadly, at least one patient has been confirmed to have died with Omicron," he told reporters.

"So I think the idea that this is somehow a milder version of the virus - I think that's something we need to set on one side - and just recognise the sheer pace at which it accelerates through the population," he said, a day after warning that the country was facing a "tidal wave" of infection.

Britain said 10 people had been hospitalised with the Omicron variant in various parts of England. Their ages ranged from 18 to 85 years and most had received two vaccination doses.

Britain on Sunday sounded the alarm by raising the national Covid-19 alert level because of high levels and rising rates of transmission.

In a rare televised address, Mr Johnson said emergency measures were needed to prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed.

All adults will now be able to receive a third dose of a Covid-19 vaccine by the end of this month after the government brought forward its deadline by one month.

But in a sign of huge demand, the National Health Service vaccination booking site crashed and users requesting rapid testing kits were told they were out of stock.

Long queues were seen at London clinics. At one, Ms Sarah Jackson, 29, said she had taken the morning off to get a jab before visiting her grandparents at Christmas.

"I was told there is a queue of two hours to register and then two hours to get vaccinated," she told Agence France-Presse.

The "turbocharged" booster programme has seen military planners being asked to set up and run extra vaccination centres around the clock.

Concerns have mounted about a new wave because of indications that two jabs are less effective against infection than three.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS