John RobertsIn a live interview on BBC World News on 29 December John discussed the very high numbers of cases in England. He focussed on London in particular, where the Omicron wave is most advanced.
A smaller proportion of cases are currently resulting in hospital admissions. John noted that this is at least partly due to Omicron being more able to reinfect those who have previously been infected, typically resulting in milder symptoms. There are still questions about how Omicron severity compare to previous variants.
There are tentative signs that cases in London might be peaking, but John cautioned that this is primarily driven by younger ages. Cases are still rising in older age groups.
The number of beds occupied by COVID patients has risen very sharply but to date we have not seen the same rise in the number in critical care beds occupied, a key capacity constraint for the NHS.
Stuart McDonald
Matthew Edwards
Louis Rossouw
