Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Omicron: Two new cases of Covid variant found in London

Both cases linked to travel from South Africa, says UK Health Security Agency

Rebecca Thomas
Tuesday 30 November 2021 02:25 EST
Comments
Omicron variant: Everything we know so far about the new Covid strain

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Two new cases of the Covid-19 variant Omicron have been detected in England, making it a total of five, the UK Health Security Agency has confirmed.

Both new cases have been confirmed from individuals in London, one in Croydon and the other in Wandsworth. The UKHSA has said both are linked to travel from South Africa.

A total of 11 cases have been detected in the UK, after six were identified in Scotland with four cases in the Lanarkshire area and two in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area.

The two latest individuals that have tested positive in London are not connected to each other and are not linked to the previously confirmed cases. The individuals and their households have been told to self-isolate.

The news comes after the government’s Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations (JCVI), said today all over 18s should be available to receive their booster jab and that the gap between second vaccine doses and the booster should be reduced from six to three months.

Dr Jenny Harries, chief executive of UKHSA, said: “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 focussed contact tracing. That’s why it’s critical that anyone with Covid-19 symptoms isolates and gets a PCR test immediately.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in