LONDON, Dec 18 (Reuters) – Scientific advisors to Britain’s government said it was “almost certain” that hundreds of thousands of people were being infected with the Omicron coronavirus variant every day and hospital admissions were likely to surge.
“Currently observed numbers of Omicron infections admitted to hospital in the UK are probably around one tenth of the true number because the data lags of hospital reporting,” the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies said in minutes of a meeting on Dec. 16.
Covid-19: More than 10,000 new Omicron cases found in UK
A major incident has been declared in London and more than 10,000 new Omicron cases have been confirmed in the UK, as the variant surges across the country.
A further 90,418 daily Covid cases have been reported across the UK on Saturday, after days of record highs.
Scientific advisers have warned England’s hospital admissions could reach 3,000 a day without new measures.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the major incident in the capital showed “how serious things are”.
Covid: Dutch go into Christmas lockdown over Omicron wave
