Premier League announce highest amount of Covid-19 cases in four months as fears over Omicron variant intensify

PREM chiefs have recorded the highest number of positive Covid cases since August.

Training ground testers found seven positive results from 3,379 samples at the 20 Prem clubs over the week to Sunday.

PAPrem testers found seven cases of Covid-19 this week[/caption]

That was up one case from the previous week and represented the highest total since 16 positive results were analysed between August 16 and 22.

League bosses, though, remain relaxed as the positive cases were just 0.2per cent of the total number of tests and it is not expected to impact on the continuing roll-out of in-person press conferences.

Up to 100 players and staff at each club are now tested per week.

Restrictions including mask wearing on public transport and in shops have been re-introduced by the Government.

Regarding omicron, deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van Tam told a press conference: “I don’t want people to panic at this stage”.

Health secretary Sajid Javid added that the booster jabs programme is still the best way to ensure people’s freedoms are protected.

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He said while Omicron may dent the power of vaccines ‘it’s highly unlikely they will have no effectiveness at all against serious disease’.

Javid continued: “Getting a jab when the time comes, following the rules we’ve put in place and getting rapid, regular tests.

“If we all come together once again, then we can keep this virus at bay and protect the progress that we’ve made.”

He then added: “If it emerges this variant is no more dangerous than the Delta variant, we won’t keep measures place for a day longer than is necessary.”

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