According to a new model designed by scientists at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), without other measures in addition to those of the so-called Plan B implemented days ago by the British government, deaths from the disease could range between 25,000 and 75,000 for April 2022.
According to the study, under the most optimistic of forecasts there would be more than 2,000 daily hospitalizations and 24,700 deaths between Dec. 1 and April 30 if no further actions is taken by the government.
If Omicron manages to evade the effectiveness of the booster vaccines, and without imposing stronger social restrictions, there could be nearly half a million hospitalizations and around 74,800 deaths, specialists said.
Experts consider, however, that by banning people gathering in indoor spaces, shutting down some entertainment centers and limiting the number of people who can participate in events starting next year, the alarming figures could be reduced to 53,000 infections and 7,600 deaths.
As reported by the UK Health authorities, 633 Omicron cases were reported in England on Saturday, rising total to 1,898 since the first contagion reported two weeks ago.
After the Omicron variant outbreak identified for the first time in South Africa, the British government closed its borders to a dozen countries in the southern African cone, requiring negative Covid-19 testing from all international travelers, and imposed the Mandatory use of face mask in public transport, stores and other indoor places.
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