Omicron variant spreading rapidly across Hertfordshire

Omicron is expected to become the dominant variant in Hertfordshire by Christmas

Latest data suggests there have been 2,174 cases or suspected cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant in Hertfordshire, the county council said.

Statistics revealed 445 confirmed cases and 1,729 suspected cases of Omicron up to 13 December.

Revised data for a week earlier revealed 336 confirmed and 737 suspected cases.

Officials expected figures for the week ending 13 December to also increase when that data is next updated.

"Although it will take a few weeks to get a complete and accurate picture, it is clear that the Omicron variant is spreading rapidly all across Hertfordshire," a Hertfordshire County Council spokesperson said.

"And we expect it to become the dominant variant by around Christmas."

The data shows the highest number of cases, confirmed and suspected, was in St Albans, where there have been 340 cases, including 91 confirmed and 249 suspected cases, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Overall Covid-19 data revealed that in the seven days to 14 December there were 9,976 cases of the virus recorded across the county, resulting in an incidence rate of 834.3 per 100,000 of the population.

This pointed to an increase of more than 50%, compared to the previous week, 7 December, when the rate was 556.6.