Every adult in England has had the opportunity to obtain a Covid-19 vaccine booster, according to Boris Johnson’s government, which is a vital aspect of the government’s strategy for combating the fast-spreading omicron version.
The Department of Health stated Friday that more than 28.1 million people in England, or around seven out of ten eligible adults, have received their top-up doses. Other devolved states in the United Kingdom are free to set their own health-care policies.
Johnson has cited the vaccination deployment as justification for not enacting stricter pandemic restrictions to stem the omicron outbreak.
In his New Year’s greeting, Johnson added, “It is exactly because of that enormous national effort that we can celebrate today at all.”
However, despite a widespread lack of testing kits and as the skyrocketing caseload begins to test the health service’s endurance, his plan to get through the latest viral wave with an accelerated immunisation campaign combined with home testing is coming under increasing pressure.
According to the most recent NHS England numbers, there were 11,452 individuals in England’s hospitals with Covid-19 as of Thursday, significantly fewer than the peak of almost 34,000 in January. Despite this, daily admissions are increasing, with 2,082 on December 28 being the most since February 3.
‘War Footing’ is a phrase used to describe a situation in which the
Stephen Powis, the National Health Service’s national medical director, said in a statement Thursday that the service is “on a war footing,” announcing the construction of temporary facilities at eight hospitals to accommodate extra patients.
The cautious action is reminiscent of the so-called Nightingale hospitals that were established during the first Covid-19 wave in 2020 but later closed due to inactivity.
There is mounting evidence that omicron causes less severe disease than earlier coronavirus variations, such as the formerly prevalent delta. Nonetheless, other experts are concerned that the sheer number of Covid-19 cases could put a load on the NHS, even if the fraction of patients who require treatment is low.
According to Johnson, roughly 90% of those hospitalised with Covid-19 haven’t received vaccine boosters, and he urged those who haven’t to come forward on Friday.
He remarked, “I want to talk directly to all those who have not yet received their full vaccination.” “Those who believe the disease won’t harm them should take a look at the folks who are currently in the hospital; you could be one of them.”
The spread of omicron in the United Kingdom resulted in 189,213 confirmed Covid cases on Thursday, a new high. A total of 332 deaths occurred within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test, the highest daily total since March, while NHS England stated that this figure included a “backlog” of deaths not reported during the holiday season.
This adds to the strain on Johnson’s main Covid strategy, which is to encourage people to use home testing kits to prevent the virus from spreading. Due to high demand, they have been unable to order on the NHS website on several occasions, and pharmacies have complained about “inconsistent” supplies.
People can use the tests to cease their self-isolation under new pandemic laws in England, which is driving up demand. Businesses have begun to express concern about the impact on supply chains as a result of employee absences, which are becoming more common in the health-care system.
Southern Railway announced on Thursday that services to the busy London Victoria station will be suspended until January 10 owing to a coronavirus outbreak that has forced many of its personnel to isolate.
