LAST UPDATE | 12 Dec 2021

UK PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson has brought forward the target to offer all eligible adults in England a booster Covid-19 vaccine from the end of January to the end of December, as he warned of a “tidal wave” of Omicron cases.

In a televised address this evening, Johnson said there were already people hospitalised with the new variant, and warned the public not to think that Omicron would not affect them.

“We must urgently reinforce our wall of vaccine protection to keep our friends and loved ones safe,” he said. “I’m afraid it is now clear that two doses of vaccine are simply not enough to give the level of protection we all need.

“But the good news is that our scientists are confident that with a third dose, a booster dose, we can all bring our level of protection back up.

Everyone eligible aged 18 And over in England will now have the chance to get their booster before the new year. Johnson said that he had spoken to the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to confirm that the government would provide additional support to accelerate vaccinations across the UK.

England will move to “Plan B” on Wednesday – people will once again be required to wear masks on public transport and work from home where possible.

People who are not double vaccinated will be required to show negative lateral flow tests to enter nightclubs and some large public events.

Earlier today, the UK’s Covid Alert Level was increased from Level 3 to Level 4 “in light of the rapid increase in Omicron cases”.

Increasing the UK Covid Alert level to Level 4 means the epidemic is “in general circulation, transmission is high and direct Covid-19 pressure on healthcare services is widespread and substantial or rising”, according to Government guidance.

In a statement, the country’s four chief medical officers and the NHS England national medical director said the emergence of Omicron “adds additional and rapidly increasing risk to the public and healthcare services”.

The statement said: “Early evidence shows that Omicron is spreading much faster than Delta and that vaccine protection against symptomatic disease from Omicron is reduced.

“Data on severity will become clearer over the coming weeks but hospitalisations from Omicron are already occurring and these are likely to increase rapidly.”

They added: “The NHS is currently under pressure mainly driven by non-Covid pressures. With a variant spreading with increased transmissibility and reduced vaccine effectiveness, we are likely to see this pressure rise soon. It is extremely important that if you are eligible, you get your Covid vaccination now – whether this be your first, second or booster dose.

“People should continue take sensible precautions including ventilating rooms, using face coverings, testing regularly and isolating when symptomatic.”

The government said, as of 9am on Sunday, there had been a further 48,854 lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases in the UK.

It also said a further 52 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19.

Separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics show there have now been 171,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will address the nation on Sunday night in a recorded statement to provide an update on booster vaccines, Downing Street said.