Studies show Omicron is milder variant of coronavirus, GP says

GP Dr Sarah Jarvis explains that while Omicron is less likely to lead to hospitalisations, people should still take vaccine boosters to protect themselves.

The NHS is “on a war footing” to confront the spread of the Omicron variant, its medical director has said.

Professor Stephen Powis added that no stone would be left unturned in getting the health-service “battle-ready”, partly through its booster programme.

His analogy comes as the number of NHS staff off sick jumped to 18,829 last week, around 50 per cent higher than the total seen over the previous seven days.

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