Liam Barnes
BBC News

Residents and businesses in Long Eaton are being urged to "remain cautious" after a rise in local coronavirus cases was linked with new variants that spread more easily.

Derbyshire County Council said two cases were shown to be the South African variant and a new Indian variant.

It comes after an outbreak at Wilsthorpe School in the town resulted in more than 170 staff and students testing positive - although none of these cases have been found to be variants of concern.

Dean Wallace, the county's director of public health, said anyone who lives or works in the town should try to get a test whether or not they have symptoms, with extra testing facilities put in place.

Image source, Getty Images

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Amy Orton
Local Democracy Reporter

More cases of the Indian Covid variant have been found in Leicester, but public health bosses believe they have the situation under control.

Three cases of the strain first detected in India were reported in the city at the end of last month, and since then a small number of further cases have been identified.

The cases can all be linked back to travel and so instead of surge testing, targeted testing of their close contacts is being carried out.

Image source, Reuters

Leicester's director of public health, Professor Ivan Browne, said: "Having been notified at the end of April of our first positive cases where a variant for investigation was found, we expected more cases to follow, and that is what's happened.

"There is currently no evidence that this variant causes more severe illness or increased risk of mortality."

The city council's own test and trace team has been enlisted to go out and talk to people who have tested positive to check they are isolating and have the advice and support they need.

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Daniel Holland
Local Democracy Reporter

There have been 19 cases of the so-called Indian variant of Covid-19 detected across the North East – although health bosses say the numbers here remain the lowest of anywhere in England.

Three of the cases were travel-related, but no further information has been provided on where the 19 cases are.

The number covers all of Newcastle, Northumberland, Gateshead, North and South Tyneside, Sunderland, County Durham, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton, Hartlepool, and Darlington.

Earlier this week, North Tyneside Council confirmed that at least eight Covid cases had been linked to an outbreak among staff at the Allard’s Lounge bar in Tynemouth.

Newcastle City Council also confirmed the strain had been detected in the city, but declined to say when or where it had been found.

Image source, Getty Images

Public Health England said there was “currently no evidence that this variant causes more severe illness, increased risk of mortality or makes the current vaccines any less effective”.

Prof Peter Kelly, regional director of Public Health England North East, said: “We are not seeing many cases of the Indian variant of concern in the North East compared to other parts of the country; however, we must not be complacent with this or any other variant."

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