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First UK Omicron death confirmed
The first fatal case of the Omicron variant has been confirmed in the UK.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the first known death and said the variant was resulting in hospital admissions.
He warned of ‘the sheer pace at which Omicron accelerates through the population.’
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said Omicron is now responsible for about 20% of new cases in England.
Javid said it is expected to become the dominant variant across London within a couple of days.
There were nearly 55,000 new Covid cases on Monday in the UK.
The UK Health Security Agency said 10 people with Omicron have been hospitalised.
Their ages range from 18 to 85 years old and most are double-vaxxed.
To help curb the effects of the variant, England’s booster drive has been extended to all adults.
In addition the NHS Covid pass will be expanded to 12 to 15-year-olds for international travel.
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