This archive report was first published on 18 December 2021.
Published on December 18, 2021, a major incident has been declared in London as the Omicron variant surges across the UK.
Over 10,000 new Omicron cases have been confirmed in the UK, with a further 90,418 daily Covid cases reported across the country on Saturday.
London's mayor, Sadiq Khan, expressed his concern over the city's infection levels, stating that the major incident was 'a statement of how serious things are.'
He added that the surge in Omicron cases was having an impact on staff absences for the capital's emergency services, with 26,000 new cases reported in London on Friday.
Prof Neil Ferguson, a government adviser, warned that the true number of infections could be much higher than reported, potentially reaching 300,000 a day.
He also expressed concerns that the public health service could be overwhelmed, with hospital admissions in London surging by 28.6% in the past week.
Ministers have been warned that England's hospital admissions could reach 3,000 a day without new measures, prompting calls for the government to 'come clean with the public about what Omicron means for Christmas.'
