Omicron confirmed in Telford as first West Midlands cases are confirmed

Health chiefs say it is one of five cases to be found in the West Midlands, where one case has been discovered in both Sandwell and Staffordshire, and two more in Warwickshire.

The UK Health Security Agency, which confirmed the cases, says the variant is considered to be more transmissible but there is no firm evidence yet to show it has any greater impact on severity of disease or evades the vaccine.

Liz Noakes, Telford and Wrekin’s director for public health, says the agency is leading an investigation into the single confirmed case in the borough, but the council is also working closely with the body "to ensure all appropriate actions are taken".

She said: “The single case confirmed with Omicron Covid-19 variant in Telford and Wrekin is self-isolating.

"Robust contact tracing has taken place to trace the contacts related to it and ask them to test and self-isolate.

“The situation is being closely monitored."

She has stressed that people should take precautions to limit the spread of the virus by getting vaccinated, regularly testing and by following the rules regarding the wearing of face coverings.

“Even if you are feeling well, I would urge everyone to play their part to keep our community safe," she added.

Elsewhere in the West Midlands, the infected person in the Sandwell borough, and their contacts, had already been self-isolating – before the transmissible variant was confirmed.

It comes after Sandwell Council refined its contact tracing service in order to pick up suspected cases of Omicron in the borough.

Sandwell Council’s director of public health, Lisa McNally, said: "We were able to identify this case of Omicron infection a few days before it was confirmed, meaning that contacts could isolate and break the chain of infection.

"However, it does seem clear that this new variant spreads very easily and we can expect many more cases in the days and weeks to come. New research also suggests that having been infected with Covid previously doesn’t offer much protection against reinfection with omicron.

"Therefore, vaccination is crucial if we are going to stay safe this winter."

The authority is using a range of new information – including S Gene Target Failure (SGTF) data, which gives an early signal to health chiefs that a Covid-19 case may be Omicron.

Meanwhile, in Staffordshire, the county's first Omicron case was discovered in the borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme – with the resident being a contact of a confirmed out-of-area case linked to overseas travel.

The person has been self-isolating since late November and early identification allowed their small number of contacts to also be traced so they could self-isolate and get tested, chiefs said.

Dr Richard Harling, director for health and care at Staffordshire County Council, said: "With the Omicron variant spreading to more areas of the country, it was inevitable that it would make its way to Staffordshire. Robust contact tracing has taken place following identification of this first case, which has limited the risk of further spread in the community."

The Omicron strain, or B.1.1.529, is a super mutant variant which has 50 genetic mutations, over 30 of them being spike protein mutations.

The total number of confirmed Omicron cases in the UK has reached 246, after 86 new infections reported, according to figures published on Sunday.