Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what evidence his Department holds of predicted future hospitalisation rates from the Omicron variant of covid-19.

In the absence of any data on disease severity or the likely transmission rates in the community, it is not possible to make reliable estimates. As data on transmission rates becomes clearer over time and initial hospitalisations allow assessment of severity and care needs, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will be able to project predicted future rates. The UKHSA and NHS England and NHS Improvement are working to generate data as quickly as possible.