Omicron Surge in the UK

UK hospitals went into crisis mode on Monday as the Omicron variant continued to spread

• Omicron continued to rip through the UK on Monday, with the health secretary estimating that some 20 percent of all covid cases in the country can now be attributed to the new variant.
• At the same time, hospitals in England went into crisis mode, discharging as many patients as possible before the growing surge in new coronavirus cases overwhelms medical staff.
• Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave a televised speech Sunday warning that the country is being hit by a “tidal wave.” He announced an accelerated booster campaign in an effort to outpace the virus.
• A UK study released Friday suggested that, while the Omicron variant is able to evade vaccine protection, boosters can still offer protection about 75 percent of the time.
• But with only about 40 percent of the population having received a booster, the UK is unlikely to be able to outpace the current surge.
• The UK is not the only European country to already find itself enmeshed in a fight against Omicron. Denmark too has reported a high number of Omicron cases.
• How these countries fare against Omicron will provide clues for what’s in store for the rest of the continent, as Omicron is all but certain to soon become the dominant strain across Europe.