UK Covid-19 death toll exceeds 150,000 after Omicron surge
Britain has seen a surge of cases linked to the Omicron coronavirus variant in recent weeks
The United Kingdom's official death toll from the Covid-19 pandemic rose above 150,000 on Saturday, government figures showed, following a record wave of cases caused by the Omicron variant.
Some 313 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test were reported on Saturday, taking the total number of fatalities on this measure to 150,057.
A broader but less timely measure of deaths with Covid-19 on the death certificate - which includes deaths early in the pandemic when testing was limited - stood at 173,248 as of the last data on Dec. 24.
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"Coronavirus has taken a terrible toll on our country and today the number of deaths recorded has reached 150,000," Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement. "Our way out of this pandemic is for everyone to get their booster or their first or second dose if they haven't yet."
Britain has seen a surge of cases linked to the Omicron coronavirus variant in recent weeks, though death rates have been lower than during previous infection waves.
