Health officials have advised “stringent national measures” are needed by next weekend to avoid Covid hospitalisations surpassing last winter’s peak, according to a leaked document.
Health secretary Sajid Javid was warned by the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) on Tuesday that the new Omicron variant risks overwhelming the NHS even if it leads to less serious disease than Delta, The Guardian is reporting.
The paper has seen leaked advice from UKHSA for Mr Javid marked “official, sensitive”. READ MORE: Greater Manchester's latest coronavirus rates as UK sees surge in cases It states: “The key point is that under a range of plausible scenarios, stringent action is needed on or before 18 December 2021 if doubling times stay at 2.5