United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed on Monday that at least one person in the UK has died after contracting the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

Claiming that the variant also resulted in numerous hospital admissions, Boris Johnson encouraged people to get the booster vaccination jab. Health Secretary Sajid Javid also reportedly informed that Omicron now represented 20 percent of cases in England. Boris Johnson mentioned in his statement, “Sadly at least one patient has now been confirmed to have died with Omicron. So I think the idea that this is somehow a milder version of the virus - I think that’s something we need to set on one side - and just recognise the sheer pace at which it accelerates through the population.”

The WHO had earlier advised people to take precautionary measures to control the spread of the virus strain. “Individuals are reminded to take measures to reduce their risk of COVID-19, including proven public health and social measures such as wearing well-fitting masks, hand hygiene, physical distancing, improving ventilation of indoor spaces, avoiding crowded spaces, and getting vaccinated.”