Staff and pupils investigated for Omicron variant at Essex primary

PUPILS and staff at a primary school in Essex were today being tested for the Omicron Covid-19 variant as six more cases were identified in Scotland.

- Nicholas Cecil Political Editor

Health chiefs were racing to trace contacts of individuals infected with the mutation which is feared could be more resistant to vaccines and spread more quickly than the Delta variant which is dominant in the UK. As the Government tries to slow the spread of Omicron, a vaccines chief confirmed the booster programme would be extended to include 18 to 39-year-olds.

One case of the variant has been identified in Westminster — an individual who has now returned to southern Africa — and more cases are expected to be announced in coming days.

Essex county council confirmed this morning that a “link” had been established with an Omicron case and Larchwood Primary School based in Pilgrims Hatch, near Brentwood.

One class has been moved to remote learning as they were being considered as “close contacts” of the infected individual.

The school and council said: “We appreciate that this is an unsettling time for parents, pupils and the school community but we take the time to remind everyone that this is a precautionary measure.”

Children very rarely get severely ill from coronavirus but can pass it on to their families. A number of sites in Essex visited by a person infected with the Omicron variant are being targeted for testing, including KFC in Brentwood, a faith setting and the school.