Omicron fears spur countries to step up booster rollout and tighten restrictions

People queuing for booster jabs at St Thomas' Hospital, London, on Monday. Everyone over 18 in England will be offered booster jabs from this week, prime minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday night, as he declared an 'Omicron emergency'. 

The Omicron variant of Covid-19 is expected to be the dominant variant in a number of countries, officials said on Monday, as the number of confirmed cases of Omicron across the EU doubled in the last 24 hours.

According to data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the total of 766 confirmed Omicron cases across the bloc yesterday had jumped to 1,686 today.

This evening, a further eight cases of the variant were recorded in Ireland bringing the total number to 18.

The chief medical officer, Dr Tony Holohan, said they estimate that around 11% of Irish cases are now due to the Omicron variant, an increase from less than 1% only one week ago.

“While evidence on disease severity and immune escape is still emerging it is clear this variant is more transmissible," Dr Holohan said. 

"We are hoping for the best while preparing for the worst."

Cases of the variant have now been reported in 23 countries across Europe.

British health secretary Sajid Javid told the House of Commons on Monday that Omicron already represents 20% of all cases of Covid-19 in the UK, and has risen to over 44% in London.

“We expect it to become the dominant Covid-19 variant in the capital in the next 48 hours,” he told MPs.

“There are currently 10 confirmed people in England who have been hospitalised with Omicron. It is vital that we remember that hospitalisations and deaths lag infections by around two weeks, so we can expect those numbers to increase dramatically in the days and weeks ahead.” 

At least one person in the UK has died with the Omicron variant to date.

The British government is aiming to quicken the pace of the booster rollout in a bid to stem the impact of the spread of the new variant, which was first detected in South Africa.

A member of the public receives a Pfizer Covid-19 injection at a vaccination site in east London, as the government accelerates the Covid booster programme to help slow down the spread of the new Omicron variant.

Lengthy queues were reported at vaccination sites in England on Monday as people waited for their booster jab.

Denmark, meanwhile, recorded its highest ever case number on Monday, with 7,799 reported.

More than 3,437 cases of Omicron have been detected in Denmark so far, and officials said it is expected to be the dominant strain in the country this week.

Fresh restrictions were brought in for the Danish public last week, including curbs on nightlife and the closure of schools and colleges early for the Christmas break.

Norway is also tightening restrictions with prime minister Jonas Gahr Stoere saying Omicron “changes the rules”. The new restrictions will ban the serving of alcohol in bars and restaurants, while also closing gyms.

China, meanwhile, reported its first case of Omicron on Monday as the World Health Organization has warned the variant poses a “very high” global risk.

In a technical brief issued yesterday, the WHO stressed the current evidence on Omicron is “limited” but this evidence does suggest it can spread more easily than Delta.

“It is spreading faster than the Delta variant in South Africa where Delta circulation was low, but also appears to spread more quickly than the Delta variant in other countries where the incidence of Delta is high, such as in the United Kingdom,” it said.

While there have been reports that Omicron may be a milder form of infection than the Delta variant, the WHO said more time was needed to understand its impact.

It said: “Even if the severity is potentially lower than for the Delta variant, it is expected that hospitalisations will increase as a result of increasing transmission. More hospitalisations can put a burden on health systems and lead to more deaths.” 

Closer to home, deputy first minister Michelle O’Neill warned on Monday that Northern Ireland is set to be overwhelmed by the Covid-19 variant Omicron "very, very soon".

Ms O'Neill said there were 10 confirmed cases of the new Covid-19 variant in Northern Ireland as of Monday.

Earlier, First Minister Paul Givan urged take-up of the Covid vaccination booster, warning that a "storm [is] coming our way".