England's chief medical officer has warned ministers the Omicron variant of COVID-19 will trigger a "significant increase in hospitalizations."

Chris Whitty also told a virtual cabinet meeting on Tuesday it is "too early to say how severe" the variant is.

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Health Secretary Sajid Javid echoed the sentiment, telling MPs there was a "very real risk" that the rapid rise of Omicron cases could translate into an increase in hospital admissions that "threatens to overwhelm the NHS [National Health Service]."

Whitty's warning came ahead of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's crunch vote in parliament on new restrictions designed to curb the rapid spread of the new variant.

The measures were passed largely thanks to the backing of opposition Labour Party MPs, after almost 100 lawmakers from Johnson's Conservative Party rebelled and voted against the rules.

The so-called ‘Plan B’ now means:

· Face masks are to become compulsory in most public indoor venues, other than hospitality

· NHS COVID-19 Pass to be mandatory in specific settings, using a negative test or full vaccination via the pass

· Vaccines and testing remain our best lines of defence

· People asked to work from home if they can

Overreaction?

However, while the UK braces itself for an Omicron onslaught, the head of South Africa's Medical Association (where the variant was first detected), believes Johnson may be overreacting.

Angelique Coetzee told Sky News: "If you say to people they are going to be overwhelmed, a million cases … remember the UK is much better vaccinated than [South Africa] and even if you get breakthrough infections, it's mild cases, so please let us see what is happening [first]."

She advised the UK prime minister: "Just don't say these things, that is hysteria."

However, Whitty told ministers he cannot yet determine whether Omicron cases are plateauing in South Africa and said there is "no reliable evidence" from the nation's scientists of a peak in case rates.

Whatever the rhetoric, the UK reported nearly 60,000 new COVID-19 on Tuesday – the highest total since January 9, which medical experts in the country say is driven by the surge in the highly transmissible new variant.