(UTV | ENGLAND) – At least one case of the Omicron coronavirus variant has been detected in England that is unrelated to international travel, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
The Scottish government said earlier this week that nine cases had been linked to a single private event without any known travel connection.
Officials have so far been unable to link the English case to any travel history related to southern Africa, where the strain was first detected, whether directly or through contact with another traveller, the people said.
Meanwhile, dozens of new Omicron sequences were being assessed by health officials, suggesting the case tally will increase in the coming days. The UK has severely limited travel to and from 10 countries in southern Africa.
The UK Health Security Agency on Thursday confirmed seven further cases in England, bringing the total number of Omicron cases reported so far to 29. In Scotland, health officials have found 13 infections caused by the new variant.
The UKHSA did not respond to a request for comment on the case of community transmission in England.
Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, said on Tuesday that what was known about the first cluster of nine Omicron cases in the country suggested there was already “limited” community transmission of the variant.
The World Health Organization last week designated the variant as one of “concern” after a sharp rise in Omicron cases in South Africa. It said on Wednesday it had been detected in at least 23 countries, adding it expected that number to rise.