Milder Omicron Could Be Cancelled Out By ‘alarming Spread, Scientists Warn

Professor Mark Woolhouse, a co-author of a Scottish paper on the severity of Omicron, said: “An individual infection could be relatively mild for the vast majority of people, but the potential for all these infections to come at once and put serious strain on the NHS remains."

- Samuel Lovett

The Omicron wave appears to be milder than that of the Delta variant, with those infected 40 to 70 per cent less likely to be admitted to hospital, according to two preliminary studies published yesterday.

But scientists warned that the reduction in severity could be cancelled out by the “alarming” rate at which Omicron is spreading, as the number of reported daily infections passed 100,000 for the first time in the pandemic. The number of daily hospital admissions is also at its highest level since February, fuelling fears the NHS could still be overwhelmed in the coming weeks.

Yet despite calls for No 10 to make clear its plan of action for the new year, The Independent understands that Boris Johnson has pushed back a decision on whether measures will be needed, and what they may look like, until after Christmas. Time is running out to act before 2022 arrives – next Wednesday is thought to be the last day MPs can be brought back to pass legislation in time for New Year's Eve as Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland all announced new restrictions to tackle Omicron.

Locally, NHS trusts and leaders have been asked if they would be able to open temporary “field” hospitals due to fears over a shortage of beds in the coming weeks, with the number of Covid admissions continuing to climb. Nationally, 1,061 people were hospitalised on Monday, according to NHS England - a 34 per cent week-on-week rise and the highest number for a single day since 19 February. Daily admissions during the second wave peaked at 4,134, on 12 January.