Britain’s Covid-19 death toll passes 200,000 as Omicron subvariants drive new wave of cases
- The UK has been hit hard by the pandemic, with one of the highest fatality rates globally
- The Netherlands is the latest country to detect the Covid BA. 2.75 ‘Centaurus’ subvariant
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Covid-19 still a global health emergency, says WHO as new Omicron subvariants emerge
Britain’s Covid-19 death toll topped 200,000 and could rise further as a new wave of infections driven by highly-contagious Omicron subvariants sweeps across Europe.
Just over 3 per cent of all deaths last week were linked to Covid-19, pushing the total number of deaths to 200,247 up to July 1, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The UK has been hit hard by the pandemic, with one of the highest fatality rates globally and concern rising again as Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 drive a new wave of cases.
Most recent official figures now show that one in 25 people in England tested positive in the final week of June. People can be infected even if they have had the illness previously, but vaccination does help to protect against serious illness.
Britain is already rolling out a booster shot programme for vulnerable people but the country needs to urgently redouble efforts to reach unvaccinated individuals, a UK government committee said on Wednesday.
Nearly 3 million adults in England are yet to have a Covid-19 shot and are at greater risk of hospitalisation or death, the Public Accounts Committee said in a report.