UK Health Minister Reports First Death Of Omicron Variant Patient: Nothing Spreads This Fast

Ilustrasi COVID-19. (Wikimedia Commons / Mstyslav Chernov)

JAKARTA - One person has died in Britain after contracting the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday, the first publicly confirmed death globally from the highly-spreading variant.

Since the first case of the Omicron variant was detected on November 27 in the UK, PM Johnson has imposed stricter restrictions. On Sunday he warned the variant could overcome the immune defenses of those inoculated with two injections of the vaccine.

The UK did not provide details on the deaths other than those who had been diagnosed in hospital. It is not clear whether the patient has been vaccinated or has any underlying health problems.

Deaths from Omicron may have occurred in other countries but nothing has been publicly confirmed outside of the UK.

"Unfortunately, at least one patient has now been confirmed to have died with Omicron. So I think the idea that this is a milder version of the virus, I think it's something we need to regulate (to) one side, and just recognize the accelerated pace through the population." PM Johnson said in a statement at the London vaccination center, citing Reuters December 14.

Meanwhile, UK Health Minister Sajid Javid said the Omicron variant of the coronavirus was spreading rapidly and would become the dominant variant in the British capital in the next 48 hours.

"No variant of COVID-19 is spreading this fast," Minister Javid told parliament.

"While Omicron represents over 20 percent of cases in the UK, we have seen it rise to over 44 percent in London and we predict it to be the dominant COVID-19 variant in the capital in the next 48 hours."

UK Health Minister Sajid Javid. (Wikimedia Commons/Foreign and Commonwealth Office)

Before the deaths were announced, Britain said 10 people had been hospitalized due to Omicron in various parts of the UK. Their ages ranged from 18 to 85 years, with most having received two doses of the vaccination.

Separately, the UK's Health Safety Administration said the Omicron variant, which was first detected in South Africa, Botswana, and Hong Kong in late November, could overcome the immunity of those who have received two shots of vaccines such as AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech.

Earlier, South Africa's Ministry of Health said it could not say for sure whether any of the COVID-19 deaths were caused by the Omicron variant, as deaths were not broken down by variant.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Sunday that preliminary findings from South Africa suggest the Omicron variant may be less severe than the Delta variant which is currently dominant worldwide.

And, while all cases reported in the European region were mild or asymptomatic, it remains unclear to what extent the Omicron variant may be inherently less malignant.

Asked if he could waive tougher restrictions in Britain before Christmas, PM Johnson avoided giving a direct answer. Health Minister Javid said he was not aware of any plans for additional action.

"There are no plans that I know of for further restrictions," Javid said.