At least one person in the UK has died with the Omicron coronavirus variant, the prime minister has said.
Boris Johnson said the new variant was also resulting in hospital admissions and the “best thing” people could do was get their booster jab.
Visiting a vaccination clinic in London, he said people should set aside the idea Omicron was a milder variant.
On Sunday, the PM set a new target for all adults in England to be offered a booster by the end of the month.
On Monday, Mr Johnson said people needed to recognise “the sheer pace at which [Omicron] accelerates through the population”.
There have also been long queues at walk-in centres and new orders for lateral flow tests on the government website have been temporarily suspended due to high demand.
The prime minister said there were still “ample supplies” of tests for people to collect from pharmacies.
From Tuesday, people who are fully vaccinated will be advised to take daily tests if they are identified as a contact of someone who has Covid.
Online bookings for boosters opened for over-30s on Monday, while 18 to 29-year-old will be able to book online from Wednesday. Over-18s can now also get their booster at some walk-in centres in England – as long as it has been three months since their second dose.
BBC
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