Long queues were seen outside walk-in vaccination centres across the UK on Monday with people queuing for their booster vaccine doses, as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed the country’s first death from the Omicron variant of COVID-19. During a visit to a vaccine clinic in west London, Johnson warned against complacency of the mildness of the variant and also refused to rule out bringing in further restrictions beyond the government’s work from home guidance now in force as part of measures to tackle the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

“Sadly, yes, Omicron is producing hospitalisations and sadly at least one patient has been confirmed to have died with Omicron, Johnson told reporters. “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. So, the best thing we can do is all get our boosters,” he said.