British PM: Health service under strain, but no new measures

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is suggesting there will be no tightening of measures to slow the current surge in coronavirus infections, in spite of the country’s healthcare system remaining under strain for weeks. The highly transmissible omicron variant has sent Britain’s daily new caseload soaring over Christmas and the New Year, with 157,758 infections reported for England and Scotland on Monday. Figures for Wales and Northern Ireland were not released. Johnson said on Monday that the pressure “on our hospitals is going to be considerable in the course the next couple of weeks, and maybe more.”