The chief medical officer will give evidence to MPs after reportedly warning the Cabinet on Tuesday that the NHS could be overwhelmed by the middle of January. Ministers were told that so many doctors and nurses will be off sick by January 15 that the NHS will not be able to operate - with too many reliant on oxygen and not enough staff to administer it. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that, even using “the most conservative” estimates, case numbers are looking “very bad” and there was a "huge spike" of Omicron heading for the UK.

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