LONDON, Dec 18: Britain reported 93,045 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, breaking the daily record for the third consecutive day and bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 11,190,354, according to official figures released Friday. Another 3,201 Omicron cases have been found in Britain, the biggest daily increase since the COVID-19 variant was detected in the country, taking the total Omicron cases found in the country to 14,909, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said on Friday.
The country also reported a further 111 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 147,048, with 7,611 COVID-19 patients still in hospital. The latest data came as a study by Imperial College London showed that the risk of reinfection from Omicron is more than five times higher than Delta and shows no sign of being milder than the previous coronavirus variant.
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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Sky News Friday that Omicron is a "very serious threat" and that the country is seeing a "very serious wave coming through." Meanwhile, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Omicron cases have been rising exponentially in Scotland, with cases doubling every two to three days. England's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty has advised people to prioritize events that matter to them in the run-up to Christmas. Whitty said the record for daily hospital admissions for COVID could be broken in the coming weeks, and urged people not to "mix with people you don't have to."
More than 89 percent of people aged 12 and over in Britain have had their first dose of vaccine and more than 81 percent have received both doses, according to the latest figures. More than 44 percent have received booster jabs, or the third dose of a coronavirus vaccine. To ring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines.
