Covid: 90 more Omicron variant cases detected across the UK

Another 90 confirmed cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant have been reported across the UK, bringing the total to 336.

In total, 64 new cases have been reported in England, 23 in Scotland and three additional cases in Wales.

There have been no confirmed cases of the Omicron variant in Northern Ireland.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid is set to update MPs on the latest Covid developments in the House of Commons at 5.15pm on Monday.

It follows a decision over the weekend to require pre-departure tests for people travelling to the UK as part of the effort to contain the Omicron variant

Professor Paul Hunter, an academic at the University of East Anglia, recently warned that Omicron could become the UK’s dominant strain within weeks.

He told BBC Breakfast: “How it’s likely to spread in the UK is still uncertain.

“But I think the early signs are it will probably spread quite quickly and probably start outcompeting Delta, and become the dominant variant probably within the next weeks or a month or so at least.”

He estimated that the UK is already likely to have over one thousand cases of the new variant.

Another academic, Professor Mark Woolhouse, who is a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (Spi-M) which advises the Government, has said Omicron is “spreading pretty rapidly” and the figure will rise.

Omicron, first detected in Botswana, sparked alarm among scientists due to concerns over its transmissibility and potential ability to evade vaccine protection.

Deputy chief medical officer for England Professor Jonathan Van-Tam recently said scientists around the world agree that the Omicron variant is "of increased concern".

He said there are still uncertainties about how transmissible the variant is and its impact on severity of disease.

He said the "number of mutations present, already on first principle, makes us worry about a possible effect on vaccine effectiveness".

He made clear that there "are far more things we don't know yet, than things we do know" about the variant, but that he expects more to become clear in two weeks.

Nadhim Zahawi has vowed to do “everything in my power to keep schools open” amid concerns over variant.

The Education Secretary told MPs on Monday that face-to-face learning must be prioritised, and advised schools to hold nativity events in the run-up to Christmas.

Conservative MP Miriam Cates, who represents Penistone and Stocksbridge, had claimed children are being treated in an “unethical and frankly inhumane way” in some schools owing to directors of public health going beyond Government guidance on Covid measures.

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Zahawi said: “Reducing transmission in schools is of the utmost importance to me and I will do everything in my power to keep schools open.”

He said guidance has been provided over testing arrangements for when schools return in January.

It is unclear whether Omicron is more transmissible compared with other variants, including the dominant Delta strain, according to the WHO.

The number of people testing positive for coronavirus has risen in areas of South Africa affected by the variant, and studies have begun to determine whether this is because it is more easily passed on.

It is also unclear whether Omicron is likely to cause more deaths or severe disease, and understanding this is likely to take several more weeks, the WHO has said.

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