Chief Medical Officer “more concerned than at any other stage in the pandemic” over Omicron variant

Northern Ireland’s Chief Medical Officer has said the emergence of Omicron has left him “more concerned than at any other stage in the pandemic.”

The number of cases of the new variant in Northern Ireland has risen to 151.

Sir Michael McBride said every adult in Northern Ireland must get a Covid-19 booster as soon as possible – before the feared surge of Omicron hits.

He said: “Boosters give you the best protection against the virus and should significantly reduce your risk of severe disease and hospitalisation,” he said.

Stormont’s Chief Scientific Officer, Professor Ian Young warned that Omicron will likely become the dominant form of the virus before the end of the year – if not before.

He said: “I think people are likely to be surprised by the speed at which Omicron cases will increase."

Professor Young added: "The key question is the extent to which these very large numbers will translate into hospital admissions.”

He said it will likely be next week before there is more certainty around the severity of Omicron. Four further patients who had previously tested positive for Covid-19 have died in Northern Ireland.

Another 2,156 cases of the virus were also reported by the Department of Health on Wednesday.

On Wednesday morning, there were 315 Covid-positive patients in hospital, of whom 32 were in intensive care.