First British Omicron victim was unvaccinated says step-son

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Due to the rapid spread of the variant, experts from a leading study have warned case rates are rising rapidly in young people. These rising cases in young people are pushing the recent surge which saw the UK report a further 88,376 cases on Thursday. Omicron is set to become the dominant strain by Christmas and experts from the ZOE Covid Study, have warned the public must now limit social contacts in the run-up to Christmas.

According to the latest data from the study, case rates are now rising rapidly among the 19-35 age group.

Cases are also increasing in the 36-55 age group while cases in the under 18 age range have remained high.

Commenting on the findings, Professor Tim Spector, lead scientist for the study said: “Omicron is set to be the dominant strain in the UK by Christmas, and in the New Year cases could hit a peak higher than anything we’ve ever seen before.

“In London cases have been rising rapidly, but this will likely slow down soon, as people change their behaviour, such as wearing face masks again, cancelling parties and working from home more.

“Hopefully people now recognise the cold-like symptoms which appear to be the predominant feature of Omicron.

“These are the changes that will slow the spread of the virus.

“It’s my hope that the rest of the country is doing the same to avoid big outbreaks outside of London, especially in big cities.

“Ahead of Christmas, if people want to get together and keep vulnerable family members safe, I’d recommend limiting social contact in the run up to Christmas and doing a few Lateral Flow Tests just before the big family gathering.

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“As our latest data shows, Omicron symptoms are predominantly cold symptoms, runny nose, headache, sore throat and sneezing, so people should stay at home as it might well be Covid.

“We are also seeing two to three times as many mild infections in people with boosters in Omicron areas as we do in Delta variant areas, but they are still very protective and a vital weapon.

“The ZOE app is one of the best tools we have to rapidly understand this new variant so we want to encourage everyone to download the app and start logging.

“It only takes a minute to report but each contribution makes a huge difference to the fight against Covid.”

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According to the study’s data, close to 32,000 new cases were reported on December 9 in the 0-18 age range.

In the 35-55 age group, cases have remained high and have steadily increased to approximately 27,000 according to the study.

Over 21,000 cases were also reported for those aged between 18 to 35.

The study also shows London as the region with the sharpest increase in case rates per 100,000.

However, Wales and the Southeast remain the regions with the highest case rates across all the regions.

Due to these high case rates, the Government has enlisted the army to help organise the vaccine booster programme.

According to the latest figures, 745,183 booster jabs were administered on December 15.

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