UK reports 75 new Omicron virus cases; confirmed cases rise to 134

As the Omicron variant continues to spread worldwide, UK reported 75 new cases of the variant on Saturday with 29 cases already reported the previous day taking the total number of confirmed omicron variant cases in the country to 143.

The Omicron variant cases have now reportedly spread from London to east Midland including northwest and eastern England.

Britain which is one of the hardest-hit countries due to the virus has ramped up its booster programme allowing all adults to take the jab.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had also taken the booster shot this week as he urged more people to take it amid the Omicron threat. The British prime informed that over 18 million booster jabs were also already completed in the country. 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked for help from the defence forces to ensure the third dose is administered to everyone.

UK had ordered a further 114 million Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines in a bid to ramp up its booster dose campaign. The government has set a two-month target to inoculate all adults with booster shots.

Britain has been registering a surge in COVID-19 cases for the past two months as UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS) said infections have been rising among children.

UK has suffered over 145,000 fatalities in the pandemic so far with over 10 million infected.

(With inputs from Agencies)