Shoeburyness: Two 'probable' cases of Omicron found in town

Covid booster jabs will be offered to everyone in England who is eligible by the end of January

Two "probable" cases of the new Covid-19 Omicron variant have been found in an Essex town, officials said.

Southend Borough Council said the two positive test from Shoeburyness had not been laboratory confirmed.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on Saturday there were 160 cases of Omicron in the UK.

Krishna Ramkhelawon, director of public health at the borough council, said they were "linked to international travel to Southern Africa".

Scientists have raised concerns that the heavily-mutated variant may be more transmissible than the dominant Delta strain and be able to escape immunity from vaccines.

Mr Ramkhelawon said it was "one highly probable and one probable Omicron case" that have been identified in the borough.

He added the council was taking "a proportionate and precautionary approach" and close contacts of the cases are isolating and would be getting a PCR test.

One of the first UK cases of the Omicron Covid-19 variant was identified in the Essex borough of Brentwood last week.

Omicron has been detected in more than 30 countries, after first being discovered in South Africa.

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Covid booster jabs will be offered to everyone in England who is eligible by the end of January.

The government has re-introduced the compulsory wearing of face masks in shops and on public transport to try to curb infections.