United Kingdom (UK) has recorded its first death due to the Omicron variant of coronavirus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday as he urged people to get booster vaccines against the infection. The fatality is also the first announced by a government worldwide since the emergence of Omicron in South Africa and its listing as a ‘variant of concern’ by the World Health Organisation last month. Speaking during a visit to a vaccination clinic in London, Johnson said new variant was causing a surge in in hospital admissions.

“Sadly yes, Omicron is producing hospitalisations and sadly at least one patient has been confirmed to have died with Omicron,” Johnson, who on Sunday warned of a “tidal wave” of infections in the UK, told reporters.

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“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.”

UK faces ‘tidal wave’ of omicron cases, warns PM Boris Johnson

On Monday, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said 10 people were in hospital in England with the Omicron variant.

In a televised statement on Sunday, Johnson urged everyone age 18 and older to get a third shot of vaccine by the end of this month in response to the Omicron “emergency” as cases of the highly transmissible variant were doubling every two to three days in Britain.

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”And I’m afraid it is now clear that two doses of vaccine are simply not enough to give the level of protection we all need,” Johnson said. “But the good news is that our scientists are confident that with a third dose – a booster dose – we can all bring our level of protection back up.”

He announced a “national mission” to deliver booster vaccines in England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are also expected to speed up their vaccination campaigns. The NHS website crashed on Monday after more than 100,000 people tried to book their booster, the government said.