Get jabbed, Johnson urges as virus cases surge in UK

Shoppers, some wearing face coverings to combat the spread of Covid-19, pass High Street stores on Christmas Eve in Guildford, south of London, yesterday.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his Christmas Eve message yesterday exhorted the UK public to get jabbed as a “wonderful” gift for the nation as cases soar.Johnson said that while little time remained to buy gifts, “there is still a wonderful thing you can give your family and the whole country... and that is to get that jab, whether it is your first or second, or your booster”.The prime minister has rejected harsher virus restrictions in England over Christmas despite a record surge in cases driven by the Omicron variant.He has focused instead on a drive to offer booster jabs to all adults by the end of the year.He acknowledged that “after two years of this pandemic, I can’t say that we are through it”, as the UK set a new record on Thursday of almost 120,000 cases in 24 hours.Last year Johnson imposed a stay at home order on December 19 for London and southeast England that meant millions had to change Christmas plans. This year he opted not to tighten rules, saying in his message that “for millions of families up and down the country, I hope and believe that this Christmas is, and will be, significantly better than the last”.People must test themselves before meeting vulnerable relatives, he cautioned, while encouraging them to enjoy a jolly family Christmas.If the pile of wrapping paper is bigger than last year due to more family members attending, it’s because of the vaccine rollout, he stressed. Johnson’s popularity has been battered by reports of parties held by Downing Street and other government departments during lockdown periods, and his party lost a by-election in a previously safe seat this month.Some within his own party have also revolted against the most recent Covid measures, particularly on mandatory showing of Covid passes to enter crowded venues such as nightclubs, which they see as violating personal freedoms.Almost 100 Tory MPs opposed the measure, which was passed by parliament as a whole. Johnson’s Brexit project is also still mired in wrangles over French fishing rights, a year after the UK reached an agreement with the European Union on a trade deal. The UK yesterday announced a new record number of virus cases fuelled by the Omicron variant.The government reported 122,186 new cases in the last 24 hours, more than 2,000 higher than Thursday’s figure.The UK is among the worst hit countries in Europe with a virus death toll of 147,857.Case numbers surged 48% over the last 7 days, as compared to the previous week, while hospitalisations and death figures have risen much less sharply.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said Thursday that figures so far show the risk of being admitted to hospital with Omicron infection to be up to 70% less than with the previously dominant Delta variant.The government agency cautioned however that the results were “preliminary and highly uncertain” since they are based on a small sample of cases of hospitalisations so far.The UKHSA’s chief executive Jenny Harries told BBC Radio 4 yesterday that the data offer a “glimmer of Christmas hope” but “it definitely isn’t yet at the point where we could downgrade that serious threat.”The government will not update its virus case figures again until December 27 due to the public holidays.Ireland yesterday reported its highest number of daily Covid-19 cases since the pandemic began but those requiring critical care fell further amid a rapid rollout of booster vaccines to battle a surge of the dominant Omicron variant.The health department reported 11,182 positive cases, topping the 8,248 on January 8 during the country’s deadliest wave.The number of Covid-19 patients in hospital peaked at 2,020 in mid-January, with a barely manageable 221 requiring critical care.There are currently 393 coronavirus patients in hospital, 89 of whom were in intensive care.Admissions have almost halved over the last month following an increase through October and November that prompted the government to tighten restrictions.Ministers went further last week, ordering restaurants to close at 8pm and reducing the capacity in all public events to try to curb the spread of Omicron and protect its hospitals from a fresh surge.