Two cases of new Omicron Covid variant identified in the UK

The individuals that have tested positive, and all members of their households, are being re-tested and told to self-isolate while further testing and contact tracing is under way

A resident from the Alexandra township gets tested for Covid-19, in Johannesburg. File picture: AP Photo/Jerome Delay

Two cases of the Omicron variant feared to have higher re-infection rates have been detected in the UK.

The individuals and all members of their households were told to enter self-isolation after one case was detected in Chelmsford, Essex, and another in Nottingham.