Wales' health minister has confirmed that a subtype of Omicron is causing Covid to "spread quickly in all parts of the country and in all age groups". Eluned Morgan said that the BA.2 lineage is more transmissible and faster moving than the original Omicron variant and is causing a spike in cases.
Public Health Wales (PHW) figures show that the seven-day infection rate based on positive PCR tests has now soared above 400 cases per 100,000 population, with some local authorities - such as Blaenau Gwent - seeing in excess of 600 cases per 100,000.
Speaking at the Welsh Government's coronavirus press briefing on Tuesday, Ms Morgan said she had expected to see a rise in cases as restrictions were eased, but she admitted BA.2 is pushing infections up more quickly than expected.
