Omicron identified in Plymouth
The first cases of the new variant have been confirmed
The first cases of omicron have been confirmed in Plymouth.
Health officials say there are now 873 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in Plymouth compared to the England average of 500 cases.
Only a small handful of people are said to have the new variant and they along with their close contacts are now self isolating.
Ruth Harrell, Director of Public Health for Plymouth, said that while the arrival of the new variant in the city was not unexpected, it was a concern given the already high COVID-19 rates.
She said:
“COVID-19 rates in Plymouth are much higher than the England average and the arrival of a variant that we know spreads even more easily means we all need to redouble our efforts to minimise risks to ourselves and others.
“It is likely that there are others in the city who also have the Omicron variant and we all need to behave as if it is already within our communities.
“We can protect ourselves from the new variant by being extra careful in following all the same measures that we have been asked to do for so long – wearing face coverings in busy indoor spaces, taking regular tests when we don’t have symptoms, isolating and taking a PCR test if we do, only socialising indoors in well-ventilated areas and washing our hands.
“It also remains really important that people get vaccinated, to protect against serious disease.”