UK Scientists Warn Omicron Variant May Claim Up To 75K Lives In Next Five Months

British scientists on Saturday called for stricter restrictions to prevent a new surge in Covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths

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London: With the threat of Omicron variant looming large, the UK government may need to introduce tougher restrictions to contain the spread as British scientists predicted that it can cause a large wave of infections by January, and could cause between 25,000 and 75,000 deaths in England in the next five months.

According to the modelling released on Saturday by scientists at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, omicron is likely to cause a large wave of infections by January and could cause between 25,000 and 75,000 deaths in England in the next five months if no other measures are taken, as per the news agency AP report.

British scientists on Saturday called for stricter restrictions to prevent a new surge in Covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths.

What does the latest study warn?

Going by the most pessimistic scenario, the study foresees half a million people hospitalized with the virus by the end of April. According to the scientists, daily hospital admissions could be double the previous peak in January 2021. The study by the scientists, who help advise the British government, has not been peer-reviewed.

However, the number of cases will depend on how much the variant escapes protection from vaccines, and how effective booster shots are at strengthening immunity, both of which remain unclear.

While UK health officials said omicron is spreading much more quickly than the delta strain and is likely to replace it and become the dominant variant in Britain within days.

As a result of Omicron threat, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative government went on to reintroduce restrictions lifted almost six months ago. Masks must be worn in most indoor settings, vaccine certificates must be shown to enter nightclubs and people are being urged to work from home if possible.

Many scientists say that's unlikely to be enough.

The UK recorded 58,194 coronavirus cases on Friday, the highest number since January, though what portion were the omicron variant is unclear.