LONDON, Dec 13 — The Omicron variant of novel coronavirus is spreading at a "phenomenal rate” so people should get an additional dose of the vaccine because double-jabbed people are vulnerable, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said today.

Though Javid said there had been no deaths yet confirmed in England, he said Omicron was probably behind around 40 per cent of infections in London and that unless the government acted then the health service could be overwhelmed.

"What we now know about Omicron is that ... it’s spreading at a phenomenal rate, something that we’ve never seen before, it’s doubling every two to three days in infections,” Javid told Sky News.

"That means we’re facing a tidal wave of infection, we’re once again in a race between the vaccine and the virus.” — Reuters