LONDON: According to official numbers issued on Friday, the UK registered 50,584 new Covid-19 infections, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 10,379,647.

According to estimates, there were also 143 deaths caused by the coronavirus in the country. There have been 145,424 coronavirus-related deaths in the UK, with 7,373 Covid-19 patients still in hospitals. The new information comes after the country identified 22 cases of the Omicron type in England, 29 in Scotland, and one in Wales.

A meeting of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) subgroup on Sars-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.529 found that the variant might start a new wave of infections if brought into the UK. Meanwhile, more than half of the confirmed cases of the new Omicron form in the UK have occurred after at least two vaccination doses, according to officials.

The UKHSA has also released a risk assessment of the Omicron variant, giving it the highest "red" alert for its theoretical ability to resist both vaccine and naturally-acquired immunity based on its mutations. It also advises that it might make monoclonal antibody therapy less effective.

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