UK scientists suggest many more have Omicron coronavirus variant than reported

People walk through the Piazza in Covent Garden amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in London, Britain, December 18, 2021. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

LONDON (Reuters) - Scientific advisors to Britain's government said it was "almost certain" that hundreds of thousands of people were being infected with the Omicron coronavirus variant every day and hospital admissions were likely to surge.

"Currently observed numbers of Omicron infections admitted to hospital in the UK are probably around one tenth of the true number because the data lags of hospital reporting," the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies said in minutes of a meeting on Dec. 16.