London, Thanasis Gavos
Uncertainty about the morbidity of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus was invoked by ministers of the Johnson administration to state yesterday in the cabinet their opposition to the adoption of additional restrictive measures at this time.
According to British political editors, Finance Minister Risi Sunak led the group, saying at yesterday’s three-hour meeting that there should be comprehensive data on Omicron before “billions of pounds” of cost-cutting decisions could be made.
Mr. Sunak was mainly supported by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Transport and Enterprises, while on the other hand, the Ministers of Health, Education and Upgrading were in favor of faster measures.
The ministerial intervention was preceded by an update on the epidemiological data by the Chief of England Professor Chris Whitey, who left no doubt about the need for additional measures as soon as possible.
In the end, Prime Minister Johnson decided not to announce immediate action, as most analysts expected, but to reserve newer decisions when further information about Omicron emerges.
Based on the assurance from the Prime Minister that the adoption of new measures will require the approval of the House of Commons and given that it takes 48 hours for the recall of MPs from their vacation, the preparation of legislation and the parliamentary process, most newspapers agree on Tuesday that no measures are expected before Christmas.
However, it is considered possible to adopt rules for restrictions on indoor gatherings and the operation of the restaurant during the week between Christmas and New Year.
The first more comprehensive conclusions on the threat posed by the Omicron variant to Britain are expected within the next two days, with even more studies in the coming days.
The latest figures from the UK Health and Safety Service show that with yesterday’s 8,004 confirmed new cases of Omicron, 45,145 cases have now been detected. There are a total of 124,954 suspected cases of the variant. 129 are now Omicron carriers who have been hospitalized and 14 carriers who have lost their lives.
An internal leaked NHS health alert warns of the risk of hospital and ambulance service collapsing in London over the next two to three weeks due to the spread of Omicron. The latest figures show 1,814 patients with Covid in London hospitals.
On the other hand, Cambridge University Professor Sir Spiegelhelter, a distinguished professor of statistics, told Channel 4 that in about half of the new London hospitalizations for the new variant, patients were admitted for other reasons and were diagnosed as Omicon positive. , that is, they did not need hospitalization due to the variant.
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