New cases of COVID-19 in Britain hit a record high for the second day running on Thursday.
Britain reported 88,376 new infections, the highest since the start of the pandemic and up around 10,000 since the previous record set on Wednesday.
England's Chief Medical Officer warned daily hospital admissions could also hit new peaks due to the fast-spreading Omicron coronavirus variant. He said that surge in cases was piling pressure on a health service struggling with staff sickness and that Omicron is so transmissible that even if it proves to be milder than other variants, it could still cause a surge in hospital admissions.
"It is possible because this is going to be very concentrated over a short period of time, even if it's milder, you could end up with a higher number than that going into hospital on a single day," he said.
However, he said vaccinations could cut the numbers admitted to intensive care and shorten the time spent in the hospital. On Thursday there were 849 admissions.
Britain is betting that vaccine boosters will prevent serious illness from Omicron.
The government has also advised people to work from home, mandated mask-wearing in public places, and has introduced COVID-19 passes to enter some venues and events in England, but has stopped short of previous lockdown measures.
Britain reported 88,376 new infections, the highest since the start of the pandemic and up around 10,000 since the previous record set on Wednesday.
England's Chief Medical Officer warned daily hospital admissions could also hit new peaks due to the fast-spreading Omicron coronavirus variant. He said that surge in cases was piling pressure on a health service struggling with staff sickness and that Omicron is so transmissible that even if it proves to be milder than other variants, it could still cause a surge in hospital admissions.
"It is possible because this is going to be very concentrated over a short period of time, even if it's milder, you could end up with a higher number than that going into hospital on a single day," he said.
However, he said vaccinations could cut the numbers admitted to intensive care and shorten the time spent in the hospital. On Thursday there were 849 admissions.
Britain is betting that vaccine boosters will prevent serious illness from Omicron.
The government has also advised people to work from home, mandated mask-wearing in public places, and has introduced COVID-19 passes to enter some venues and events in England, but has stopped short of previous lockdown measures.
