Coronavirus pandemic Omicron case with no known travel link detected in England infection follows similar pattern in Scotland, suggesting community transmission is occurring in the UK [A total of 22 Omicron cases have been confirmed in England and 10 in Scotland © Gareth ulle/PA Donato Paolo Mancini, Oliver Barnes, Sarah Neville and John Burn-Murdech in London 4 HOURS AGO At least one case of the Omicron coronavirus variant has been detected in England that is unrelated to travel, according to people with knowledge of the matter, providing further evidence of community transmission in the UK. s had been linked to a single private event without any known travel connection. ‘The Scottish government earlier this week said nine cas Officials have related to southern Africa, where the strain was first detected, whether directly or so far been unable to link the English case to any travel history through contact with another traveller, the people said. Meanwhile, dozens of new Omicron sequences were being assessed by health officials, suggesting the case tally will increase in the coming days. The UK has. severely limited travel to and from 10 countries in southern Afri The UK Health Security Agency has confirmed a total of 22 Omicron cases in England so far, while in Scotland the authorities have announced 10 infections by the new variant. The UKHSA did not respond to a request for comment on the first case of community transmission in England, adding that it would be updating case numbers daily.Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland's first minister, said on Tuesday that what was known, about the first cluster of nine Omicron cases in the country suggested there was already “limited” community transmission of the variant. The 10th Scottish infection, announced on Wednesday, was not linked to any other known case, the aid. authoriti ‘The World Health Organization last week designated the variant as one of “concern” after a sharp rise in Omicron cases in South Africa. It said on Wednesday it had been detected in at least 23 countries, adding it expected that number to rise. Scientists are alarmed by the variant, fearing its high number of mutations could allow it to spread faster than the currently dominant Delta variant and bypass the immune protection provided by vaccines or prior infection. Studies are under way to understand this. It is also not yet known whether Omicron alters the severity of Covid-19 infection. One person with knowledge of the English cases added it had been difficult to trace contacts in certain instances, as some of those whose Omicron infection had been confirmed left the country shortly afterwards while some also ignored isolation. Separate testing data, analysed by government science advisers, has given an early indication that Omicron may be more widespread in England. On account of a genetic quirk, Omicron can be picked up by a certain type of PCR test, which is used in around half of the community tests performed. Omicron does not possess one of the three coronavirus gene targets — the $ gene — analysed by commercial detection kits, giving epidemiologists an insight into its spread without the need for genomic sequencing. with an Surveillance data in England showed that the proportion of Covid-19 c S-gene dropout jumped from a background level of 0.06 per cent between August and October to around 0.3 per cent, as of November 28. However, health officials are cautious about over-interpreting the recent rise because suspected Omicron cases may be preferentially put forward for S-gene testing. Mark Woolhouse, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at Edinburgh university, said the signal had proved “extremely helpful” for showing a surge in Omicron cases in South Africa“In South Africa they are now picking up many more cases without an $-gene since Omicron was first detected,” said Woolhouse. “From their experience we would associate this pattern with a rise in Omicron.” The Alpha variant, which was dominant in the UK until mid-May, also had the same genetic quirk. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2021, All rights reserved