Figures release as part of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reveal that up to Monday 20th December, 132 people diagnosed with the Omicron variant of Covid had been admitted to hospital. With more than 30 of these hospitalised in London alone.
Analysis of the 132 Omicron hospital patients found that 27 of the patients were unvaccinated, eight had received one dose, 74 had received two vaccine doses and 17 had received their booster. The vaccination status was unknown for six people.
Of the 132 people hospitalised with Omicron, the majority were aged 20 to 40 and a total of 14 people are reported to have died within 28 days of an Omicron diagnosis, ranging from 52 to 96 years old.
Dr Jenny Harries, UKHSA chief executive said: “Our latest analysis shows an encouraging early signal that people who contract the Omicron variant may be at a relatively lower risk of hospitalisation than those who contract other variants. However, it should be noted both that this is early data and more research is required to confirm these findings.
“Cases are currently very high in the UK, and even a relatively low proportion requiring hospitalisation could result in a significant number of people becoming seriously ill. The best way that you can protect yourself is to come forward for your first two doses of vaccine, or your booster jab and do everything you can to stop onward transmission of the infection.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “This is early-stage analysis and we continue to monitor the data hour by hour. It is still too early to determine next steps, so please stay cautious this Christmas and get your booster as soon as possible to protect yourself and your loved ones.”
