Covid-19: First Lincolnshire Omicron case confirmed

The confirmed case has been linked to overseas travel, Lincolnshire's public health director says

The first case of the Omicron coronavirus variant has been confirmed in Lincolnshire, the county's health boss has said.

Lincolnshire's director of public health, Professor Derek Ward, said the case was in a town in the Boston area.

He said it was one of two cases confirmed at the same workplace and was linked to overseas travel.

The other confirmed case was a colleague from another county who had recently returned from South Africa.

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"We know there are two cases from the same workplace in that town, but we know one of those cases isn't a Lincolnshire resident and has recently returned from Southern Africa, so that's the connection," he said.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said a further 90 cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus were recorded in the UK on Monday, taking the total to 336.

That includes 261 cases in England, 71 in Scotland, 4 in Wales and none in Northern Ireland.

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It has yet to be confirmed how mild or severe the Lincolnshire case is.

It is also not known at this stage how many contacts are isolating as a result, or if the workplace involved has been forced to close, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

An investigation is being led by the UKHSA, which is compiling detailed histories, close contact isolating, testing and tracing.

Professor Ward praised the UKHSA for the speed of its response to the Omicron variant, adding: "I expect it to spread very quickly, but it's really difficult to predict just how quickly.

"It is almost certainly more transmissible, so it's easy to catch and easier to pass on, just like Delta was before it."