(Bloomberg) — Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned the U.K. is facing a “tidal wave” of omicron infections and set an end-of-year deadline for the country’s booster vaccination program.
“Everyone eligible aged 18 and over in England will have the chance to get their booster before the New Year,”Johnson told the nation in a hastily-arranged address on Sunday night.
Johnson, who has been the subject of scathing headlines over his handling of the pandemic, tried to change the narrative in a somber address. While he is accelerating a plan to deliver booster jabs, in practice he’s bringing the deadline forward by a month.
His short speech came hours after the U.K. raised its Covid alert level to four from three in light of the surge in cases. The number of new cases of the strain almost doubled on Sunday from a day earlier amid warning signs the country’s beloved National Health Service is buckling under the strain.
The U.K. has ramped up restrictions in recent days. Masks have been made mandatory in more public settings, and Britons have been told to work from home if possible. In practice, adherence remains lax and Johnson is desperate to let families celebrate Christmas together, unlike last year.
“There is a tidal wave of Omicron coming, and I’m afraid it is now clear that two doses of vaccine are simply not enough to give the level of protection we all need,” Johnson said.
Omicron arrived in the country at a time when the delta variant was already fueling a surge in cases, despite the U.K. having one of the most successful vaccination programs in the world. There were almost 50,000 new cases confirmed on Sunday and the government expects the omicron variant to become the dominant strain this month.
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