HOSPITAL admissions have fallen in London for the first time since the Omicron variant emerged, new figures have revealed.
The promising news comes despite the latest 45 per cent rise in coronavirus cases, as 42 new fatalities were logged.
In a boost to the NHS, figures showed a steady decline of hospitalisations in the capital since December 27 – a stark contrast to this time last year.
Meanwhile, a further 106, 665 people have taken up a booster shot in the last 24 hours – with the total of triple vaxed individuals now standing at 34, 205,472.
The rise means almost 60% of the UK population have had their third jab.
It comes as a string of hugely positive studies show Omicron IS milder than other strains, with the first official UK report revealing the risk of hospitalisation is 50 to 70 per cent lower than with Delta.
Covid booster jabs protect against Omicron and offer the best chance to get through the pandemic, health officials have repeatedly said.
Trending In The News’s Jabs Army campaign is helping get the vital extra vaccines in Brits’ arms to ward off the need for any new restrictions.
Yesterday, the Health minister Ed Argar proclaimed that hospitalisations are currently not crippling the NHS.
Although he expects them to rise, he revealed that only 789 people are on ventilators.
He said: “I’m seeing nothing in the data right in front of me in the immediate situation, that suggests a need for further restrictions.”
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“We need cool, calm heads. We need to look at the data and we need to do everything possible to avoid any restrictions – restrictions or curbs must be the absolute last resort.”
The minister said Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Sajid Javid are monitoring the data every day.
Current Plan B measures – for Covid passes and masks in some settings – will be reviewed this week but insiders are not expecting anything to change.
Mr Argar said that he did expect to see the number of patients in hospital to increase with cases numbers so high.
He said: “So we’re in a much stronger position than we were a year ago… but yes, I would expect the hospitalisations to continue to go up for a little while yet.”
Current restrictions mean businesses, the NHS and schools are all being crippled by staff absences – with new data showing one in ten staff off sick in the health service,
He said: “The clinical advice or scientific advice we have is around, move it from 10 as we have done to seven days.
“We haven’t received scientific advice that it should go lower than that.”
