Omicron is now the most dominant Covid strain across Mansfield and Ashfield

Omicron has now become the most dominant form of Covid across Mansfield Ashfield, new figures have revealed.
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The news comes after it emerged that more than half of Europe’s population will catch Omicron in the next six to eight weeks, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned.

The Omicron variant now accounts for 100% of analysed Covid samples in more than 30 local authority areas, and accounts for 90% or more in most areas.

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In Mansfield, data has showed there were 76 samples sequenced of tests taken in the week ending January 1, 2022, with 75 samples where the variant could be determined, 72 Omicron cases were identified (with three samples found to be other variants), 96 per cent of Omicron.

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In Ashfield, there were 78 samples sequenced of tests taken in the week ending January 1, 2022, with 77, where the variant could be determined, 72 Omicron cases were detected (with five samples found to be other variants), 93.5 percent of Omicron.

The figures come from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, which looked at samples of Covid tests, to give a general idea of the proportion each variant made up in local authority areas.

The samples were from Lighthouse Labs, and sequenced by the institute’s Covid 19 Genomic UK Surveillance Consortium.

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Dr Hans Henri Kluge, the WHO’s regional director for Europe, said the highly contagious variant had become “a new west-to-east tidal wave sweeping across the region, on top of the Delta surge that all countries were managing until late 2021”.

Omicron is rapidly becoming the dominant variant of Covid 19 data has revealedOmicron is rapidly becoming the dominant variant of Covid 19 data has revealed
Omicron is rapidly becoming the dominant variant of Covid 19 data has revealed

He said: “It is quickly becoming the dominant virus in Western Europe and it is now spreading into the Balkans.

“At this rate, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation forecasts that more than 50 per cent of the population in the region will be infected with Omicron in the next six to eight weeks.”

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But Dr Kluge added that death rates “remain stable and continue to be highest in countries with high Covid-19 incidence combined with lower vaccination uptake”.

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The Wellcome Sanger Institute analysed more than 34,000 positive Covid-19 tests taken in the week to January 1 to determine variants. In more than 30 local authority areas, Omicron was the only variant found.

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