London: A further 86 cases of the Omicron Covid variant have been identified in the UK, bringing the total number of cases to 246, according to health officials.

According to sources quoting the UK Health Security Agency's (UKHSA) numbers, this compares to a total of 160 on Saturday, an increase of more than 50 percent.

Meanwhile, according to official numbers, the UK has recorded 43,992 new Covid-19 infections, bringing the overall number of coronavirus cases in the country to 10,464,389 cases. A total of 54 people died as a result of the coronavirus in the country. The overall number of deaths caused by the coronavirus in the UK has now reached 145,605. Only persons who died within 28 days of their first positive test are included in these statistics.

The fresh data came as British Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced that beginning at 0400 GMT on Tuesday, all overseas arrivals to the country, including children over the age of 12, will be required to take a pre-departure test. He further stated that they must be taken at least 48 hours prior to leaving.

Nigeria will also be on the red travel list as of Monday. It joins a number of southern African countries that were added to the list after the Omicron version was found late last month.

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