Britain faces an oncoming “tidal wave” of cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant, Boris Johnson warned, as he promised all eligible adults in England a third vaccine dose by the end of December.
Speaking in a pre-recorded address to the nation Sunday night, the U.K. prime minister urged Britons to get their “booster” dose and launched what he called a new “Omicron Emergency Boost” initiative. It means a previous deadline he set – offering a third jab to all eligible adults in England over the age of 18 by the end of January — has been brought forward by a month.
The booster push will be “a national mission unlike anything we have done before in the vaccination program,” Johnson promised.
Early analysis of U.K. Omicron and Delta variant cases by the U.K. Health Security Agency suggests two vaccine doses are less effective at preventing Omicron infections, but that a third dose significantly restores protection against mild disease.
Johnson said an “extraordinary effort” was required from the health service to hit his new target, as he announced measures including the deployment of British military teams to help speed up the rollout.
In a sign of the trade-offs England’s health service will have to make to speed up the jabs program, 10 Downing Street confirmed in an accompanying statement that NHS staff “will need to be redeployed away from non-urgent services.”
This, No. 10 added, “means that all primary care services will now focus on urgent clinical need and vaccines, and some non-urgent appointments and elective surgeries may be postponed until the New Year while every adult in the country is jabbed.”
Justifying the move, Downing Street argued that without the increased protection of a third dose, NHS beds would “quickly fill up and the long term damage to the economy and the NHS efforts to bring down the backlog will be even greater.”
Johnson confirmed he had spoken to the leaders of Britain’s devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and offered additional support for their own vaccination rollouts.
Scotland’s Nicola Sturgeon said Sunday night her government would also aim to offer all adults a booster dose by the end of the year, while Wales’ Mark Drakeford said the Welsh government is “doing everything we can” to accelerate its vaccination program.
3,137 Omicron cases have been detected in the U.K. as of Sunday, according to official data — an increase of over a thousand on the number reported Saturday. Earlier on Sunday senior health officials announced that the U.K.’s coronavirus alert level would move up to “level 4,” meaning transmission of the virus is considered high and pressure on health care services is “widespread.”
“No-one should be in any doubt: there is a tidal wave of Omicron coming,” Johnson, who is facing domestic pressure over claims his own staff held parties during a nationwide lockdown last year, said.
The prime minister added: “Do not make the mistake of thinking Omicron can’t hurt you; can’t make you and your loved ones seriously ill.”
The drive won the backing of opposition leader Keir Starmer, who stressed the safety of vaccines and said his Labour Party would “always support the NHS and act in the public interest.”
“Therefore the government has our support in the effort to accelerate the booster program,” Starmer added in a statement. “It’s also vital that we use the Christmas holidays to get the vaccine out to eligible children.”