A record-breaking number of British COVID cases during the pre-Christmas Omicron surge

A record-breaking number of British COVID cases during the pre-Christmas Omicron surge. 

Britain saw a record number of coronavirus cases Thursday, as the Omicron variant spread across the country. The daily count reached 119,789, up from 106,122 the day before.

Many industries and transport networks are experiencing staff shortages. Sick workers often self-isolate. Hospitals in Britain warn of the potential impact on patient safety.

According to government data, Omicron’s rapid advancement has driven a surge of cases in Britain over seven days, with the total increasing by 678,165.

Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the Conservative Government of Boris Johnson, announced Wednesday that it would reduce the legal self-isolation period for England from 10 to seven days.

This change is intended to get people back to work faster for legally required to self-isolate after positive COVID-19 testing. After seven days of isolation, they receive a negative lateral flow result for two consecutive days.

Johnson, who has placed a lot of political capital on Christmas 2021 being “considerably more” than the previous year, said Tuesday that new restrictions were unnecessary. He stated that there was uncertainty over Omicron hospitalization rates and Omicron severity.

He did not rule out additional measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 following Christmas Day (which falls on Saturday) if the situation worsens.

The devolved countries of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have already announced additional post-Christmas restrictions.

The latest government data revealed 147 people died within 28 days after a positive case was filed, compared to 140 deaths on Wednesday.