London could run out of police officers, firefighters & NHS staff to cover shifts amid Omicron spike, Sadiq Khan warns

LONDON could run out of police officers, firefighters and NHS workers to cover shifts as Omicron cases spiral, Sadiq Khan has warned.

The Mayor of London today declared a "major incident" in London as the new variant rips through the capital's hospitals.



It comes as the UK'S daily Omicron cases have TREBLED in the last 24 hours with cases rising by more than 10,000.

Yesterday just 3,201 cases were reported compared to the whopping 10,059 revealed today.

In order to curb infections and save Christmas, Brits have been urged to come forward and get their booster jabs either by booking on the NHS portal or by going to a walk-in centres.

The Sun is also urging readers to sign up to the Jabs Army campaign to make the rollout as smooth and fast as possible.

But now Sadiq Khan has said he is "incredibly worried" about staff absences in vital public services.

He believes the variant could cause huge problems in the NHS, fire service and police due to rapidly rising cases.

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The mayor's office says the declaration of a major incident will allow authorities to work together and support each other to reduce service disruption and allow more time to give out booster jabs.

Mr Khan said: "The surge in cases of the Omicron variant across our capital is hugely concerning, so we are once again declaring a major incident because of the threat of Covid-19 to our city.

"The Omicron variant has quickly become dominant, with cases increasing rapidly and the number of patients in our hospitals with Covid-19 on the rise again.

"We are already feeling the impact across the capital and while we are still learning about this variant, it's right that London's key agencies work closely together to minimise the impact on our city, including helping to protect the vital vaccination programme."

Georgia Gould, chair of London Councils, said: "The rapid spread of Omicron across our city is of huge concern.

"Local councils have stepped up and played a vital role in supporting their communities through the pandemic.

“I know they will continue with these efforts but we cannot do this alone."

The NHS faced a similar crisis over Christmas last year when London hospitals were considering sending patients to Yorkshire as intensive care units reached breaking point at 114 per cent capacity.

Medics even considered setting up war-style triage tents in car parks to treat people struck down with the bug.

Hospitals were on the brink of being overwhelmed as Covid ripped through the capital and the South East of England.

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