The first patient to fall ill with the Omicron strain of coronavirus infection has died in Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.
"Unfortunately, yes, omicron causes hospitalization, and at least one patient has been confirmed to have died from omicron," he said (quoted by Sky News).
The British prime minister called to "put aside" the idea that the disease caused by the Omicron strain is mild and to pay attention to the speed with which the new variant of the coronavirus is spreading.
"The best thing we can do is revaccinate," Johnson concluded.
The day before, the British Prime Minister warned the nation of the avalanche-like onslaught of the omicron strain. He warned that two doses of vaccine are not as effective against the new strain, and therefore a third dose is needed.
In early December, British authorities tightened the rules for entering the country amid the emergence of the omicron strain. According to the rules, all those entering the country over the age of 12 years must provide negative results of PCR- or LFD-test.
However, already on December 9 London announced a transition to "plan B" because of the spread of the omicron strain. Thus, since December 10, it is compulsory to wear masks in most public places in the UK, and from December 13 the recommendation to switch to a remote work format comes into force.
On Wednesday, December 15, the NHS Covid Pass in a mobile app will become mandatory for entry into nightclubs and high-traffic places.
British scientists discovered the Omicron strain in late November in South Africa and Botswana. It has since spread to at least 63 countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
In Russia, the first cases of infection with the omicron strain were detected on December 6 in two Russians who had returned from South Africa. They were placed in an observatory, Rospotrebnadzor reported.
Tatyana Golikova, deputy prime minister and head of the operational headquarters for the fight against coronavirus, said on December 13 that the new strain of coronavirus has already been detected in the country in 16 of the 177 Russian citizens who have returned to the country from South Africa.
To prevent the spread of the strain, Russian authorities have imposed a mandatory 14-day quarantine for those arriving from South Africa and neighboring countries. On November 28, Russia also banned foreigners from South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Mozambique, Madagascar, Tanzania, and Eswatini, as well as Hong Kong.
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