The United Kingdom has reported its first known death from the latest Covid variant, Omicron, making it the first publicly confirmed death globally from Omicron.
The swiftly spreading strain was first detected in Britain on Nov. 27, and since then, the country has introduced tougher restrictions in order to prevent the variant from overcoming vaccinated people’s immune defenses.
No further details have been given about the death, other than the person was diagnosed with Omicron while in the hospital. Whether they were vaccinated or had underlying health issues, has not been reported.
It is not necessarily the first death from the Omicron variant, but no other death has been publicly confirmed yet.
Before the death was announced, the UK said that 10 people had been hospitalized with the variant across England, and most of whom had received both vaccination doses.
The variant now accounts for 44 percent of Covid infections in London. The UK Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, predicted that it would soon become the dominant strain in London. More than 146,000 people have died from Covid in Britain since it was first detected.
In the U.S., the variant has been detected in at least 30 states. This has led to some states reimposing restrictions. In California and New York, indoor mask mandates have been reintroduced.
This comes amid early evidence that the Pfizer booster shot may offer significant protection against the Omicron variant. Israeli researchers over the weekend reported that a three-shot dosage of the Pfizer vaccination provides “significant protection” against the new variant.
These findings were similar to the ones reported by Pfizer earlier last week. The reports indicate that booster shots may be the key to protecting against infections, including infections from the latest strain.
Monday marked the one-year anniversary of the first shipments of the vaccine being rolled out of Pfizer’s facilities across the U.S.
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