Omicron is now the dominant strain of coronavirus in Nottingham, it has been revealed.
Despite the first case in the city being reported late last month, there is a greater proportion of Omicron cases than Delta cases being reported as of Friday, December 17.
Lucy Hubber, Director of Public Health for Nottingham City Council, told Nottinghamshire Live this was not due to a decrease in Delta coronavirus cases - but rather a rapid rise in Omicron cases.
She said: "We're seeing Omicron and Delta running alongside each other, so we're not yet seeing replacement of Delta by Omicron - hence the reason why our case rates are increasing so much in the city.
"At the moment we are seeing, of those cases, more of a proportion of them are Omicron than Delta at the moment.
"But we're not seeing a significant decline in Delta, we are seeing an increase in Omicron."
In Nottinghamshire, meanwhile, the South African variant is still not the most dominant strain - but Jonathan Gribbin, Director of Public Health for Nottinghamshire County Council, has warned it soon could be.
"We're running just a little bit behind the city in a favourable sense," he said.
"I think what people in Nottinghamshire should keep in mind is that it would be wise at this point to work on the basis that Omicron is all around them and across Nottinghamshire.
"If that isn't the case right now, it is very likely to be soon. Because Omicron is so transmissible, it's essential that all of us double down on all of those measures which stops its spread."
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