STAYING THE COURSE
Boris Johnson says Britain will continue on ‘path we’re on’ & remain lockdown-free while Gov reviews Omicron data
BORIS Johnson has vowed Britain will continue "on the path we are on" and remain lockdown-free while the Government reviews Omicron data.
No10 is set to look over the current Plan B measures on Wednesday, when parliament returns from recess.
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But for now, the country will remain lockdown-free while the "plainly milder" Omicron variant continues to spread, the PM said.
A string of hugely positive studies show Omicron IS milder than other strains, with the first official UK report revealing the risk of hospitalisation is 50 to 70 per cent lower than with Delta.
Covid booster jabs protect against Omicron and offer the best chance to get through the pandemic, health officials have repeatedly said.
The Sun's Jabs Army campaign is helping get the vital extra vaccines in Brits' arms to ward off the need for any new restrictions.
Speaking during a visit to a vaccination hub in Stoke Mandeville Stadium, Bucks., the PM said the Omicron variant is "plainly milder" than other strains.
While the Omicron spread continues, the UK will keep going on the same path its on now, he added.
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Mr Johnson said: "I think we've got to recognise that the pressure on our NHS - on our hospitals - is going to be considerable in the course the next couple of weeks, and maybe more."
The PM insisted the UK must continue keep Covid measures the same, adding:
"I think the way forward for the country as a whole is to continue with the path that we're on.
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"I think that the UK is in a much, much stronger position than this time last year and there's there's no doubt at all.
"And that is basically because of science, which seems to be borne out by all the evidence Omicron is considerably milder than the previous variants, and we're much more boosted.
He added: "I appreciate the pressure on our NHS, on our hospitals, is going to be considerable in the course of the next couple of weeks and maybe more because there's no question Omicron continues to surge through the country.
"There's a couple of important points though - it is plainly milder than previous variants."
The PM said the Government is helping the NHS with Covid-related staffing shortages, but he ruled out slashing the UK's isolation time to five days.
"We will continue to look at the infectivity periods," he added.
"But the key thing is we don't want to be releasing people back into the workplace when they're still infectious.
"The risk is you'd increase the numbers of people going back into the workplace or infections by a factor of three.
"So you might perversely have a negative effect on on the workforce if you so mean."
Ministers believe any changes to current Covid rules – either stripping the country of current measures or mirroring tougher restrictions like those in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – are unlikely.
A source told : “We are cautiously optimistic for now, but things could change in a single day.”
Daily cases and hospitalisations have grown rapidly in the last fortnight, with the number of Covid patients reaching its highest level since February.
The number of people on ventilators, however, has barely increased.
Scientists believe the full effects of the Christmas period may not show up in the data until the end of this week.
This morning, Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi insisted there is "nothing in the data to suggest we need to go further" but that ministers will "look at the Wednesday review and then beyond that keep monitoring the data very carefully".
I think we've got to recognise that the pressure on our NHS, on our hospitals, is going to be considerable in the course the next couple of weeks, and maybe more.
Boris Johnson
He added that the numbers of people in hospital with coronavirus have begun to rise in the over-50s, "which we are concerned about, but on the whole, actually the number of people in ICU [intensive care] has come down, which is good news".
Mr Zahawi said: "If we see more leakage of infection in the over-50s - because most of the surge in infections from the Omicron variant has been in the under-50s - then that is more likely that those people end up with severe infection and hospitalisation.
"The good news is obviously that 90 per cent of those people over 50 have had the booster jab - that is the real protection against severe infection and hospitalisation."
A further 137,583 Covid cases were recorded in England and Wales yesterday after infections reached record highs for five days in a row.
On Sunday, Health minister Ed Argar said hospitalisations are not crippling the NHS - although he expects them to rise.
Revealing 789 people were currently on ventilators, Mr Argar said on Sunday: "I'm seeing nothing in the data right in front of me in the immediate situation, that suggests a need for further restrictions."
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"We need cool, calm heads. We need to look at the data and we need to do everything possible to avoid any restrictions - restrictions or curbs must be the absolute last resort.”
The minister insisted Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Sajid Javid are monitoring the data every day.
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Covid cases rise by 137,583 in England and Wales and another 73 people die but only 789 patients are on ventilators