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COVID-19 Variants Identified In The UK - 1 December 2021

Latest update

A further 9 cases of Omicron variant confirmed

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has identified 9 further cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) with mutations consistent with B.1.1.529 in England, in addition to the previous 13 confirmed cases of the SARS-CoV-2 variant known as B.1.1.529. The total number of confirmed cases in England is now 22.

The individuals that have tested positive and their contacts are all isolating. Work is underway to identify any links to travel to Southern Africa. We have now identified cases in the East Midlands, East of England, London, South East and North West. UKHSA is carrying out targeted testing at locations where the positive cases were likely to be infectious.

A further case has been identified in Scotland, bringing the total to 10.

Dr Jenny Harries, Chief Executive of UKHSA, said:
"We are continuing our efforts to understand the effect of this variant on transmissibility, severe disease, mortality, antibody response and vaccine efficacy.

"Vaccination is critical to help us bolster our defences against this new variant – please get your first, second, third or booster jab without delay.

"Following the change in JCVI advice earlier this week, a booster dose for everyone over 18 years is now recommended and will be available at a minimum of 3 months from your last primary course jab. Please take up this offer as soon as you are eligible to protect yourself, your families and your communities.

"Please make sure to wear a mask in line with government guidance, including on public transport and in shops, to help break the chains of transmission and slow the spread of this new variant.

"It is very likely that we will find more cases over the coming days as we are seeing in other countries globally and as we increase case detection through focused contact tracing. That’s why it’s critical that anyone with COVID-19 symptoms isolates and gets a PCR test immediately."

UKHSA has updated its stay at home guidance and non-household contacts guidance to reflect changes to self-isolation requirements for contacts of people who have been identified as a suspected or confirmed case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

UKHSA is acting to get scientific information available as quickly as possible in order to inform the right balance of interventions to prevent transmission and protect lives. This will include analysing live samples of the new variant in our laboratories to investigate properties such as response to current vaccines.

As viruses mutate often and at random, it is not unusual for small numbers of cases to arise featuring new sets of mutations. Any variants showing evidence of spread are rapidly assessed.

The breakdown of cases by local authority is:

Barnet: 2
Bexley: 1
Brentwood: 1
Buckinghamshire: 1
Camden: 2
Haringey: 1
Lancaster: 1
Lewisham: 2
Liverpool: 1
Newham: 1
North Norfolk: 1
Nottingham: 1
South Cambridgeshire: 1
Sutton: 1
Three Rivers: 1
Wandsworth: 1
Westminster: 3