The UK has found two new cases of the heavily-mutated Omicron COVID-19 variant. The variant has been deemed ‘of concern’ by the World Health Organisation (WHO) after being identified in South Africa earlier this week.
The UK Omicron cases were reportedly found in Chelmsford and Nottingham, UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid says, with the two linked cases being traced to South Africa.
The WHO’s Technical Advisory Group met on Friday to discuss the variant, highlighting that preliminary evidence suggests that the virus possesses increased risk of reinfection compared to other variants. While the Delta variant is currently predominant in Europe, a spokesperson for the organisation said that vaccination coverage and booster doses are of utmost importance at this stage and should be the main priority.
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