Prime Minister Boris Johnson declares a new state of emergency due to Omicron; so far only ten people have been hospitalized from the infection but the UK COVID alert system was raised to level 4. This means that there is a high or increasing level of transmission, requiring escalation of efforts such as deployment of military and re-routing healthcare resources to managing COVID-19 cases. Preventative measures such as working from home and getting the booster are recommended to protect the healthcare sector since 40% of COVID-19 cases are due to Omicron. Although information about the severity of the virus is still unknown, the rapid transmission rate is concerning and could potentially overwhelm hospitals.
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