The health secretary has said the Omicron variant of COVID-19 now represents 20% of cases in England.

Sajid Javid said the UK Health Security Agency estimates that the current number of daily infections are around 200,000.

He also said the new strain, which is thought to be much more transmissible than previous variants, represents over 44% of infections in London.

“There are now 4,713 confirmed cases of Omicron in the UK,” Mr Javid told MPs.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday, Mr Javid updated MPs on new changes to COVID passports in England.

The changes include:

Mr Javid said there are currently 10 people in England who have been admitted to hospital with Omicron.

“It’s vital we remember that hospitalisations and deaths lag infections by around two weeks so we can expect those numbers to dramatically increase in the days and weeks that lie ahead,” he added.

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