Denying ministers have lost trust, the health secretary says new rules will buy time against Omicron.
New Covid restrictions in England will buy time against the Omicron variant amid a "credible risk" of the NHS being overwhelmed, Health Secretary Sajid Javid has said.Mr Javid denied the government had lost credibility by breaking rules over parties at Downing Street.One senior Conservative MP heckled the health secretary in the Commons as he announced the changes, shouting for him to "resign".
While a substantial rebellion is expected when the plans come to a vote in the Commons next week, they are likely to pass with support from Labour. The health secretary said the evidence was that Omicron was doubling every 2.5 or three days, which could mean a million infections by the end of the month.
He said early indications suggested the new variant "could lead to a big rise in hospitalisations and therefore sadly in deaths" - though a lot is still unknown.
Ministers have repeatedly said there are no plans for another lockdown in England. "It's not a lockdown, it's Plan B," Mr Johnson said on Wednesday.New restrictions are on the way - but so too is a new revolt in Conservative ranks at Westminster.
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Here’s How Covid-19 Vaccine Makers Plan To Tackle OmicronI am a London-based reporter for Forbes covering breaking news. Previously, I have worked as a reporter for a specialist legal publication covering big data and as a freelance journalist and policy analyst covering science, tech and health. I have a master’s degree in Biological Natural Sciences and a master’s degree in the History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Cambridge. Follow me on Twitter theroberthart or email me at rhartforbes.com
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