PM Boris Johnson Criticizes Anti-Vaccine Group, Environment Minister Calls Peak Omicron Variant Ending Relatively Soon

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. (Wikimedia Commons/Arlington National Cemetery)

JAKARTA - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson denounced anti-vaxxers, the anti-vaccine COVID-19 group, saying they are completely wrong and spreading nonsense, as the country's Environment Minister said Britain would soon pass the peak of infections of the Omicron variant.

Speaking during a visit to a vaccination center in Northampton, the prime minister said he wanted to maintain a 'voluntary approach' to a COVID-19 vaccine, noting that other European countries required vaccination.

But he said conditions were a tragedy as the pressure on the NHS was due to the Omicron variant, with 30-40 per cent of those hospitalized in the current wave not being vaccinated.

"You get people out there spouting bullshit about vaccinations. They are completely wrong and I think it's time for me, the government, to call them about what they are doing," said PM Johnson, quoted by Sky News, January 7.

"It's totally wrong, it's completely counterproductive, and the stuff they put out on social media is absolutely bullshit."

As he urged Britons to get a COVID-19 vaccine, PM Johnson said, "The saddest word in English is 'too late'. When you're in the ICU and you haven't been vaccinated, unfortunately it's too late to be vaccinated, so cheer up now".

An estimated 4.5 million people aged 18 years and over in the UK have not received their first dose, more than six million people have not had two injections, and nearly nine million eligible people have not received a booster dose offer.

Illustration of a COVID-19 vaccination. (Wikimedia Commons/Vocería de Gobierno)

In this regard, PM Johnson acknowledged the NHS was under enormous pressure, but said it was not true that the health service did not have enough staff to cope with the pressure it was facing.

Previously, health leaders had warned the NHS was facing a "staffing crisis", with 24 trusts declaring a critical incident. This is the highest level of alertness which means trust is concerned that priority services cannot be delivered safely.

However, PM Johnson denies putting the NHS on a war footing without the right staff. He said, "this has continued for the past 18 months, wave after wave of COVID", while stressing he understands how frustrating it is to see another wave.

At the same time, he defended the government's record of increasing staff numbers by saying "there are 5.000 more doctors this year and 10.000 more nurses", as he insisted that the government recruit more.

Separately, UK Environment Secretary George Eustice predicted the country would relatively soon pass the peak of Omicron infections, with the NHS struggle set to "live fairly short".

"This is a difficult situation. It will be short-lived as it is clear we will soon pass the peak of this infection. But, in the meantime we have taken steps to reduce the isolation period, are doing all we can to ensure we can reuse resources in the NHS," he said.