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LONDON: The UK’s well being minister on Monday informed Parliament that the brand new Omicron variant of COVID-19 is now in transmission inside the group throughout areas of England, as he confirmed a complete of 336 instances of the mutation first detected in South Africa.
In line with the newest information, there are actually 261 instances in England, 71 in Scotland and 4 in Wales, bringing the entire variety of confirmed instances throughout the UK to 336, Sajid Javid mentioned in his assertion to the Home of Commons.
“This contains instances with no hyperlinks to worldwide journey. So, we will conclude that there’s now group transmission throughout a number of areas of England,” he mentioned.
The minister knowledgeable Parliament in regards to the addition of Nigeria to the UK’s crimson checklist journey ban and pre-departure PCR or lateral circulation assessments for anybody travelling to the nation beginning Tuesday.
We’re leaving nothing to likelihood.
Our technique is to purchase ourselves time and strengthen our defences whereas our world-leading scientists assess this new variant and what it means for our combat in opposition to COVID-19,” he mentioned.
Javid additionally up to date the Commons on beforehand launched information from the UK Well being Safety Company (UKHSA) about current scientific evaluation which means that the window of an infection could also be shorter for Omicron than for the Delta variant.
Nonetheless, he mentioned that there isn’t any “clear image” on whether or not the variant causes extra extreme illness or how it’s impacted by the present vaccines being administered for COVID-19.
“And so we won’t say for sure, at this level, whether or not Omicron has the potential to knock us off our highway to restoration,” mentioned Javid.
From 4 AM native time on Tuesday, anybody travelling to the UK from a non-red checklist nation, whether or not vaccinated or not, should present proof of a unfavourable PCR or lateral circulation check taken no sooner than 48 hours earlier than departing for the UK.
Javid mentioned that the brand new measures, which additionally embrace each traveller having a Day 2 PCR check and isolating till getting a unfavourable outcome, are non permanent and will probably be reviewed subsequent week.
Consultants have mentioned there’s rising concern Omicron is spreading extra rapidly than the Delta variant, at present the predominant variant within the UK.
Professor Paul Hunter from the College of Drugs on the College of East Anglia mentioned the early indicators present that the Omicron variant “will most likely unfold fairly rapidly”.
“And possibly begin outcompeting Delta and grow to be the dominant variant most likely inside the subsequent weeks or a month or so at the least,” he informed the BBC.
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