There are two confirmed cases of Omicron in Wiltshire and further 'probable' cases, latest data shows. 

A total of 448 cases of Omicron, a Covid variant of concern, were confirmed in England and 568 cases were confirmed in the UK according to the UK Health and Security agency distrubution of variant case data as of the from December 8.

Today, December 10, UKHSA tweeted the total Omicron cases in the UK stood at 1265.

Data has also been released on the amount of confirmed and probable Omicron case numbers per local authority. 

In Wiltshire, two Omicron Cases cases were confirmed in the county on November 29.

A further 7 probable Omicron cases were identified using an S-gene target failure test, with five detected on November 29 and three detected on December 6. 

READ MORE: News of Omicron puts vaccine drive in full throttle - see how your area compares

A characteristic of the Omicron variant is an 'S-gene drop-out' which can be detected in a PCR test at many UK laboratories as soon as the positive case is confirmed. 

This is a much quicker indicator of whether someone is infected with the Omicron variant, but confirming Omicron cases requires further sequencing. 

The UK Health Security Agency has said the Omicron strain of coronavirus is expected to become the dominant variant in the UK by mid-December.

UKHSA said that if current trends continue unchanged, the UK will exceed one million Omicron infections by the end of the month.

At the time of writing it has not yet been confirmed where in Wiltshire these cases were identified.

READ MORE: Does the Covid vaccine work against Omicron variant? What we know so far

The people affected have been told to self-isolate and their close contacts have been identified, Wiltshire Council said.

Director of public health for the county Kate Blackburn said: “People should be assured that, just as we have done throughout the pandemic, all local health professionals are working hard to keep our county safe.

“Close contacts of these individuals will have been identified and will have been requested to self-isolate and get tested.

“We’ll continue to work closely with partners, including the UK Health Security Agency, and if any further preventative action is required as a result of the variant being confirmed in the county we will let people know.

She said: “In the meantime, It’s important that everyone continues to take sensible precautions and follows the national measures and guidance currently in place.

“So that means washing hands regularly, wearing face coverings where required, taking lateral flow tests, getting both doses of your vaccine and the booster, and self-isolating immediately and getting a PCR test when displaying any Covid-19 symptoms. We thank everyone for their continued support.”

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