British health authorities say they have high confidence that the Omicron coronavirus variant causes a low severity of disease in adults.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) made the claims in an updated risk assessment of Omicron, detailing an analysis of vaccine efficacy, sub-lineage and symptoms.
“There is now high confidence that the Omicron variant causes low severity of disease in adults,” UKHSA said.
It said vaccines remained effective against the variant and data showed that a booster dose was associated with a 74 per cent reduced risk of admission to hospital.
However, it said children under 1 are proportionally more likely to be admitted to hospital with Omicron than older children.
Of children admitted to hospital with Covid-19 in the past four weeks, 42 per cent were under the age of 1, compared with about 30 per cent in previous waves.
“We’ll be undertaking further analysis to investigate the small rise in the number of children admitted to hospital,” said Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at UKHSA.
“Early data show that young children who are hospitalised experience mild illness and are discharged after short stays in hospital.”
A separate report by the UKHSA showed that there have now been a total of 546,531 confirmed and probable cases of Omicron across Britain, an increase of 181,155 since January 5.
On Friday, the UK reported more than 99,000 new lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus, the lowest figure since December 22.
Deaths from the disease continue to rise, however, with an additional 270 people reported to have died from Covid-19 within 28 days of a positive test.
Further analysis showed that tens of thousands of new cases of coronavirus in the UK are not being included in official daily figures.
An average of 114,600 new cases were recorded each day in the week ending December 23, the government's Covid-19 dashboard showed.
But the true figure might have been more than three times that number, new estimates published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed.
This means more than 1.5 million new cases of coronavirus could have been left out of official figures in the week before Christmas.
The government's daily figures only count those people who have reported themselves as having tested positive for the virus.
The ONS survey circumvents this issue by sampling the same number of people in the UK every week, regardless of whether they know they have Covid-19 or have reported a positive result.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Essentials
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day - 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227 for four at the close.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
BABYLON
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
