Cabinet to agree extra measures as Omicron takes hold 

Christmas restrictions are to be considered as the Covid variant now accounts 27% of all new cases

An urgent Cabinet meeting is considering a raft of extra measures to try to stave off the rapidly-spreading Covid-19 Omicron variant. File picture: Brian Lawless

The Cabinet is expected to agree today on a raft of extra measures to try to stave off the rapidly spreading Omicron variant.

The variant now accounts for 27% of all new Covid-19 infections, up from just 1% of new cases last week. It is likely to become the dominant variant within a matter of days.