More than 400 cases of a new Covid-19 sub-variant have been identified in the UK, as health chiefs describe it as a 'variant under investigation'.
Authorities have confirmed that 426 cases of the variant, entitled Omicron BA.2, have been confirmed by Whole Genome Sequencing in England, with the earliest infection dated December 6.
The hotspots with the largest number of confirmed cases are in London, with 146, and the South East, with 97.
