Britons have been told they should cut back socialising now to preserve their hopes of a proper family Christmas Day, as coronavirus infections hit a record high and scientists warned that a large wave of omicron will put the NHS under strain within weeks.
Chief medical officer Chris Whitty told a Downing Street press conference that the new variant of Covid-19 was “moving at an absolutely phenomenal pace” and that substantial numbers of cases needing hospitalisation intensive care were likely in the period following Christmas Day.
“Substantial gaps” can be expected in hospital staffing as doctors and nurses go down with omicron, he said, as another member of the government’s Sage scientific advisory panel warned there was a possibility of the NHS becoming “overwhelmed”.
The World Health Organisation’s Covid envoy, Dr David Navarro said the British health service was in “an emergency situation”, with an “extraordinary acceleration” of cases likely to lead to an extremely serious situation over the last two weeks of December.
“I have never been more concerned than I am tonight, not just about the UK but about the world,” said Dr Nabarro.
Recommended Covid omicron news: Booster vaccine queues reach six hours Omicron symptoms: What to look out for from new Covid variant Will there be a new UK lockdown before Christmas as part of Plan B?
Prime minster Boris Johnson said people should “think carefully” about socialising and said his own plans for his first Christmas with his new baby daughter were “pretty modest at this stage” because of the likely pressure of work.
He called on people to get vaccinations and booster jabs in a “great national fightback” against the disease. Boosters hit a daily record of 656,711 on Tuesday but remained well short of the 1m a day needed to meet Mr Johnson’s pledge of giving them to everyone eligible by the end of the month.
Prof Whitty said he expected people would “deprioritise” non-essential gatherings to ensure being able to enjoy the most important events, which for most will be Christmas Day with family.
“I really think people should be prioritising those things - and only those things - that really matter to them,” he said. “Because otherwise the risk of someone getting infected at something that doesn’t really matter to them and then not being able to do the things that do matter to them obviously goes up.”
Official figures showed 78,610 new Covid infections across the UK in what Prof Whitty said was effectively “two epidemics on top of one another” as a rapidly growing wave of omicron cases is added to the stable but high numbers of people affected by the earlier delta strain.
“I’m afraid we have to be realistic that records will be broken a lot over the next few weeks as the rates continue to go up,” said Prof Whitty.
UK news in pictures Show all 50
1/50UK news in pictures
UK news in pictures 15 December 2021 Lewis Hamilton is made a Knight Bachelor by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle
PA
UK news in pictures 14 December 2021 The Royal Liver Buildings surrounded by early morning fog in Liverpool
PA
UK news in pictures 13 December 2021 People queue outside a walk-in Covid-19 vaccination centre at St Thomas's Hospital in Westminster
Getty Images
UK news in pictures 12 December 2021 People take part in the Big Leeds Santa Dash in Roundhay Park, Leeds
PA
UK news in pictures 11 December 2021 People arrive at a Covid-19 vaccination centre at Elland Road in Leeds,
PA
UK news in pictures 10 December 2021 Stella Moris speaks to the media after the US Government won its High Court bid to overturn a judge’s decision not to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
PA
UK news in pictures 9 December 2021 Camels are lead around Salisbury Cathedral during a rehearsal for the Christmas Eve Service
PA
UK news in pictures 8 December 2021 Margaret Keenan and Nurse May Parsons, a year after Margaret was the first person in the UK to receive the Pfizer vaccine
PA
UK news in pictures 7 December 2021 Snowfall in Leadhills, South Lanarkshire as Storm Barra hits the UK with disruptive winds, heavy rain and snow
PA
UK news in pictures 6 December 2021 A person tries to avoid sea spray on New Brighton promenade in Wallasey as the UK readies for the arrival of Storm Barra
Getty
UK news in pictures 5 December 2021 People release balloons during a tribute to six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes outside Emma Tustin's former address in Solihull, West Midlands, where he was murdered by his stepmother
PA
UK news in pictures 4 December 2021 People walk through a Christmas market in Trafalgar Square
Reuters
UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London
AFP/Getty
UK news in pictures 2 December 2021 Duchess of Cambridge inspects a Faberge egg at the Victoria and Albert Museum
Getty
UK news in pictures 1 December 2021 Meerkats at London Zoo with an advent calendar
PA
UK news in pictures 30 November 2021 Workers put the finishing touches to the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree ahead of the lighting ceremony later in the week
PA
UK news in pictures 29 November 2021 Home Secretary Priti Patel is greeted by a police dog at a special memorial service for Met Police Sergeant Matiu Ratana
Getty
UK news in pictures 28 November 2021 Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City battles for possession with Aaron Cresswell of West Ham United during a match at the Etihad during snow
Manchester City/Getty
UK news in pictures 27 November 2021 Residents clear branches from a fallen tree in Birkenhead, north west England as “Storm Arwen” triggered a rare “red weather” warning
AFP via Getty Images
UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 An aerial picture shows a worker using a quad bike and trailer to transport freshly harvested trees at Pimms Christmas Tree farm in Matfield, southeast England
AFP via Getty
UK news in pictures 26 November 2021 A shopper browses Christmas trees for sale at Pines and Needles in Dulwich, London
Reuters
UK news in pictures 25 November 2021 A murmuration of hundreds of thousands of starlings fly over a field at dusk in Cumbria, close to the Scottish border
PA
UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London
AFP/Getty
UK news in pictures 24 November 2021 Migrants are helped ashore from a RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) lifeboat at a beach in Dungeness, on the south-east coast of England, on November 24, 2021, after being rescued while crossing the English Channel.
AFP via Getty Images
UK news in pictures 23 November 2021 The coffin of Sir David Amess is carried past politicians, including former Prime Ministers Sir John Major, David Cameron and Theresa May, Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Prime Minister Boris Johnson during the requiem mass for the MP at Westminster Cathedral, central London
PA
UK news in pictures 22 November 2021 The scene in Dragon Rise, Norton Fitzwarren, Somerset where police have launched a murder probe after two people were found dead
Tom Wren/SWNS
UK news in pictures 21 November 2021 London-based midwife Sarah Muggleton, 27, takes part in a 'March with Midwives' in central London to highlight the crisis in maternity services
PA
UK news in pictures 20 November 2021 Police officers monitor as climate change activists sit down and block traffic during a protest action in solidarity with activists from the Insulate Britain group who received prison terms for blocking roads, on Lambeth Bridge in central London
AFP via Getty Images
UK news in pictures 19 November 2021 A giant installation of Prime Minister Boris Johnson made from recycled clothing goes on display at Manchester Central, as part of Manchester Art Fair, in a 'wake-up call for the Prime Minister to tackle textile waste'
PA
UK news in pictures 18 November 2021 The scene at a recycling centre in Stert, near Devizes in Wiltshire after a large blaze was brought under control. The fire broke out on Wednesday night the fire service has said and local residents were advised to keep windows and doors shut due to large amounts of smoke
PA
UK news in pictures 17 November 2021 The sun rises over South Shields Lighthouse, on the North East coast of England
PA
UK news in pictures 16 November 2021 ancer Maithili Vijayakumar at the launch of 2021 Diwali celebrations at St Andrew Square in Edinburgh
PA
UK news in pictures 15 November 2021 Forensic officers work outside Liverpool Women's Hospital, following a car blast, in Liverpool
Reuters
UK news in pictures 14 November 2021 Wreaths by the Cenotaph after the Remembrance Sunday service in Whitehall, London
PA
UK news in pictures 13 November 2021 Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of detainee Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, is ending his hunger strike in central London after almost three weeks. Ratcliffe has spent 21 days camped outside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in London without food. He began his demonstration on 24 October after his wife lost her latest appeal in Iran, saying his family was “caught in a dispute between two states”
PA
UK news in pictures 12 November 2021 Peter Green protesting outside the Cop26 gates during the official final day of the Cop26 summit in Glasgow.
PA
UK news in pictures 11 November 2021 Seagulls fly around the statue entitled 'Tommy', a first World War soldier by artist Ray Lonsdale at dawn in Seaham, Britain
Reuters
UK news in pictures 10 November 2021 Climate activists dressed as characters inspired by the Netflix series “Squid Game” protest as they ask Samsung to go 100% renewable energy, outside the venue for COP26 in Glasgow
Reuters
UK news in pictures 9 November 2021 A deer statue silhouetted at Loch Faskally in Pitlochry, Scotland
Reuters
UK news in pictures 8 November 2021 Sunrise over St Mary's Lighthouse at Whitley Bay on the North East coast of England
PA
UK news in pictures 7 November 2021 Activists from Friends of the Earth during a demonstration calling for an end to all new oil and gas projects in the North Sea outside the UK Government's Cop26 hub during the Cop26 summit in Glasgow
PA
UK news in pictures 6 November 2021 Protesters take part in a rally organised by the Cop26 Coalition in Glasgow demanding global climate justice
PA
UK news in pictures 5 November 2021 Final touches are made to a life sized Sir David Attenborough cake surrounded by animals as part of a display created by a group of cake artists during Cake International at NEC Birmingham
PA
UK news in pictures 4 November 2021 A spectacular display of the Northern Lights seen over Derwentwater, near Keswick in the Lake District
PA
UK news in pictures 3 November 2021 Police and demonstrators at a Extinction Rebellion protest on Buchanan Street, during the Cop26 summit in Glasgow
PA
UK news in pictures 2 November 2021 A person walks along the Basingstoke canal near to Dogmersfield in Hampshire
PA
UK news in pictures 1 November 2021 Sir David Attenborough delivers a speech during Cop26 in Glasgow
Reuters
UK news in pictures 31 October 2021 Extinction Rebellion activists protest in Edinburgh as the Cop26 conference begins in Glasgow
Getty
UK news in pictures 30 October 2021 First Minister Nicola Sturgeon with Mapuche leader and Minga Indigena Lead Coordinator Claflin Lafkenche (right) alongside indigenous delegates at a ceremonial gathering at the Tramway in Glasgow in a symbolic gesture to mark a unified demand for climate justice
PA
UK news in pictures 29 October 2021 Ocean Rebellion put on a display of puking oil heads ahead of climate change conference COP26 in Glasgow
EPA
“This is a really serious threat at the moment. How big a threat? There are several things we don’t know. But all the things that we do know are bad.”
With the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) estimating that omicron cases are doubling in less than two days, the chief medical officer said it would only be a short time before Britain sees “very, very, very large numbers” of infections.
“There will be substantial numbers and that that will begin to become apparent, in my view, fairly soon after Christmas,” he said. “It’ll start before them. But in terms of the big numbers, I think that’s a reasonably nailed-on prospect.”
And he made clear this would include substantial numbers of health and care staff.
“Very large numbers of people in society - and that includes doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers - are going to get Covid at the same time, because this will be a very sharp peak,” he said. “There will be significant problems actually providing staff.”
Giving evidence to a parliamentary committee earlier in the day, UKHSA chief executive Jenny Harries warned that omicron presented “probably the most significant threat we’ve had since the start of the pandemic”, warning that it could place the NHS in “serious peril”.
Dr Harries said that “quite staggering” numbers of infections can be expected in the coming days due to the highly contagious nature of the new strain, which “runs the risk of evading our natural and/or vaccine immunity”.
And she warned that the speed of spread was accelerating, with infections now doubling in less than two days in most parts of the UK, compared to an estimated four or five days when the threat first emerged.
UKHSA previously estimated that as many as 200,000 new infections with omicron took place in the UK on Monday, implying that cases could reach 1 million a day by the end of the week, with millions infected by 25 December.
Prof Whitty warned that the scale of the likely outbreak meant that “lots of people” are going to get sick, even if omicron turns out to be milder than earlier strains.
The director of Oxford University’s Rosalind Franklin Institute, Prof James Naismith, said that even if widespread immunity meant omicron was four times less likely than delta to cause severe disease, its rate of spread meant that it could cause double the number of daily hospitalisations within seven days.
“Unfortunately this is just the start,” said Prof Naismith. “Numbers are going to get much bigger very quickly.”
The unofficial Independent Sage group of scientists and medics called for an immediate 10-day circuit-breaker lockdown in order to permit “limited” social mixing on 25-28 December.
Calling for the closure of indoor hospitality and entertainment venues and a ban on indoor mixing by different households in the run-up to Christmas, the group said in a statement: “Christmas is 10 days away – that’s five doublings at its current growth rate, making the situation potentially 32 times worse by then.
“The opportunity for early action has been lost and the time for further delay is over. The situation is so urgent we must take emergency action now and that means it is imperative to reduce contacts. Advice is no longer enough since it does not convey the urgency of the situation.”
But Mr Johnson declined to impose any new formal restrictions on pubs, restaurants on Christmas parties.
“What we are saying is think carefully before you go, what kind of an event is it, are you likely to meet people who are vulnerable, are you going to meet loads of people you haven’t met before, and get a test, make sure there’s ventilation, wear a mask on transport,” Mr Johnson said.
“We’re in a different environment thanks to the boosters from where we were last year but we’ve got to be cautious and think about it while we wait for the benefits of the boosters to really kick in.”
His comments sparked fury in the nightlife sector, which has seen mass cancellations of bookings as the threat from omicron became clear.
“With the prime minister appearing to lack the political will to impose actual restrictions and instead seeking to induce a pseudo-lockdown through repeated sombre-sounding announcements, our sector is now facing the worst of both worlds – a recent drop in trade and no government support to help us through,” said Michael Kill of the Night Time Industries Association.
And the president of the British Chambers of Commerce called on chancellor Rishi Sunak to step in with financial support for businesses “seeing their vital festive income melt away in front of their eyes”.
“Businesses now face the two-punch combination of serious issues with staff absence and plummeting consumer confidence,” said Ruby McGregor-Smith.
Recommended Chris Whitty warns against over-interpreting early Omicron data Working on Christmas Day likely for PM and top medics amid Covid surge Prioritise what events matter to you, Chris Whitty warns ahead of Christmas
“Businesses have heard nothing from the Treasury since this new round of Covid interventions arrived over a week ago. Not even a rationale has been provided for why it believes no new support is required. They deserve better.”