Market comment 2021

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The NHS is “on a war footing” to confront the spread of the Omicron variant, its medical director has said. Professor Stephen Powis added that no stone would be left unturned in getting the health-service “battle-ready”, partly through its booster programme. His analogy comes as the number of NHS staff off sick jumped to 18,829 last week, around 50 per cent higher than the total seen over the previous seven days. London, the epicentre of the Omicron wave, had more than a fifth of these absences.

 Covid news: UK ‘still in danger zone’ as Javid insists there is clarity over restrictions | The Independent

• Here is what people forget, it's not just hospitals filling up, it's staff getting infected as well that affects healthcare capacity. Indeed:
  

Daily hospitalisations in England up by more than 40% in a week at same time as more staff on sick leave

 NHS leaders alarmed by rise in hospital admissions as Covid cases hit record | Coronavirus | The Guardian