By Staff, Agencies 

The World Health Organization warned that “The BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron, which some studies indicate could be even more infectious than the original version, has now been found in 57 countries.”

In its weekly epidemiological update, the WHO said there are now four sub-variants of Omicron which collectively account for over 93 per cent of all coronavirus specimens collected in the past month.

“BA.2-designated sequences have been submitted to Gisaid from 57 countries to date,” the WHO said. It added that in some countries, the sub-variant now accounted for more than half of all sequenced Omicron cases.

Meanwhile, in the UK, the government has been accused of “wasting” £8.7bn on “unusable” Personal Protective Equipment [PPE] during the pandemic.

It comes as ministers have come under fire from care home bosses for job losses before the U-turn on mandatory Covid vaccines for NHS health and social care workers announced Tuesday.