OMICRON is slowly spreading in the UK, after a global alarm was raised.
Experts warn that hundreds of more cases will soon emerge in England and Scotland.
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There are 22 confirmed cases. However, labs are probing hundreds of additional samples.
Scotland was infected with the mutant variant today, adding to six that were reported yesterday.
They are found throughout the Glasgow and Lanarkshire regions.
Nicola Sturgeon explained that all nine of the cases from Scotland have been traced back one event on November 20, and that none of the patients had any connection to travel.
The variant could have been caught by more people at the event, with additional linked cases likely to emerge.
England has 13 confirmed cases. Nine are located in the capital.
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One of the eight came from Westminster. The other eight are located in Barnet Brentwood, Camden Haringey Westminster and Wandsworth.
Five additional cases were reported in England by Liverpool, Nottingham Brentwood, Liverpool, and North Norfolk.
Boris Johnson spoke today to the nation about his plans to turbo-charge booster efforts.
Nationally, hundreds more NHS vaccination centers are being opened. The army will be drafted to help boost the fight against Omicron.
As they help to defeat the mutant variant threat, some soldiers will assist in setting up and staffing the new jab clinics.
Health bosses are hiring an extra 10,000 vaccinators as well as urging tens of thousands to join frontline volunteers, including Central Recorder’s Jabs Army.
The PM stated that he would be “throwing everything”scientists around the world have been concerned by the unusual variant.
Sajid Javid repeated the PM’s appeals to everyone to jab, to “give ourselves the best chance of a Christmas with our loved ones”.
He claimed that boosting the immunity of the nation is the best way to defend against the variant threat and the fastest way to return normalcy.
The Health Secretary stated that “what we are seeing lately has brought back memories the strain of last winter.”
“But although we can’t say with certainty what lies ahead, we have one huge advantage that we didn’t have back then: our vaccination programme, which has already done so much to keep this virus at bay.”
Jenny Harries (head of UK Health Security Agency) stated that there are many more “highly likely”England.
She said that there are no signs of a sudden increase, and that there aren’t any signs of a surge in demand. “S-gene target failure”Omicron is a member of Omicron that conducts PCR tests in Britain.
Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s Health Secretary, said that there are five new cases in the Lanarkshire region and four in NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde. This is an increase from Monday’s announcement of six cases across both areas.
When asked if there were any connections between Cop26 and a South Africa rugby match, the he replied BBC Good Morning Scotland. “There’s nothing that links these cases or indeed the variant back to Cop26 or indeed the rugby match.”
He said: “There’s nothing that indicates these cases or this new variant has come via the rugby or Cop26 but that work of course is still ongoing.”
Nicola Sturgeon said Scots should work from home immediately, sparking worries England could follow suit.
To beat the spread, Brits who fail to wear a mask in shops and on public transport face a maximum fine of £6,400 from today.
Penalties of £200 will be handed to people in England who don’t wear a face covering under new Government rules to crack down on the Omicron Covid variant.
It comes as another Christmas lockdown hasn’t been ruled out as a last resort to tackle Omicron – as Health Secretary Sajid Javid insisted we must “learn to live”Covid.
Brits have been urged to get their third jabs and start self-testing regularly to help avoid further restrictions over the festive period.
As well as shops, buses trains and trams, masks must also be worn in hairdressers, nail salons, banks and post offices in England under new curbs from 4am.
In the hospitality industry, masks are not required. This means they’re not needed in bars and restaurants, nor in law-enforced venues such as theatres, cinemas, and concert halls.
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 or booster jab without delay.
“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.”
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Professor Adam Finn, a member the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisations (JCVI), stated that it is now a “time for caution”As he encouraged people to do “anything that they can do to reduce the risk”Covid-19 can be caught.
Sky News interviewed him: “It’s an opportunity for people to be careful that they stay at home when possible to avoid contact and help us get through this difficult time.”
“Asked about Christmas, he added: “Yes, we won’t cancel Christmas again.
“But in the build up to Christmas the more we can keep a watchful eye open for this virus we reduce the risk of getting exposed to it.”
The new, alarming variant has been found in 14 countries. To stop it spreading, global travel is restricted.
The UK has added ten countries to the red list: South Africa (Namibia, Lesotho), Botswana Eswatini Zimbabwe, Angola Mozambique Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho and Botswana.
Travel bans, extra screenings and quarantines have been implemented in the USA, Australia, India, and many other European countries.
Boris Johnson introduced a number of measures Saturday to slow the spread.
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