First death with Omicron variant in United Kingdom

Health Secretary Sajid Javid told the parliament that the variant now accounted for around 44% of infections in London and would be the dominant variant in the capital within 48 hours

At least one person has died in the United Kingdom after contracting the Omicron variant, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on December 13, the first publicly confirmed death globally from the swiftly spreading strain.

Since the first Omicron cases were detected on November 27 in Britain, Mr. Johnson has imposed tougher restrictions and on December 12 cautioned that the variant could overcome the immune defences of those inoculated with two shots of vaccines.

Britain gave no details on the death or whether the patient had been been vaccinated or had underlying health issues. Deaths from Omicron may have occurred in other countries but none has been publicly confirmed yet outside Britain.