Covid-19: Ten Omicron cases identified in Northern Ireland

More cases of the Omicron Covid-19 variant have been identified by the Department of Health in Northern Ireland.

It brings the total number of confirmed cases to 10.

Health Minister Robin Swann said the vaccine booster programme has been "accelerated significantly".

Booster jabs are being made available at walk-in centres for those aged 30 and above and those who had their last dose more than three months ago.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to make a televised statement on Covid on BBC One at 20:00 GMT on Sunday.

"Given the scale of the potential threat posed by the Omicron variant, we are taking additional emergency measures to get as many booster doses as possible administered before the end of this month," said Mr Swann.

"GPs, community pharmacies and trust hubs will all have a central and vital role in making this happen."

A series of additional steps are being taken to boost the capacity for delivering booster doses in Northern Ireland, the Department of Health said.

The age range for those eligible for a third dose of the vaccine are also under consideration.

Health trust hubs are extending their opening hours and days of operation for those wanting to avail of the opportunity to get a third jab.

Recruitment is expected to step up for those administering the injection and the department has said it is exploring the possibility of deferring some routine health service activity to free up capacity.

The use of Covid-19 passports is to become mandatory in Northern Ireland from Monday, following a two-week grace period since their introduction for some venues.

On Sunday, three further deaths with Covid-19 were reported in Northern Ireland, bringing the Department of Health's total since the pandemic began to 2,924.

There were also 1,548 confirmed new cases of the virus, up from 1,446 on Saturday.

The Omicron variant has lots of different mutations that have not been seen before, and many that have.

A large number of them are on the spike protein of the virus, which is the target of most vaccines, and that is the main concern.

In standard PCR tests, Omicron has what's known as an "S-gene dropout" (which Delta has not, in most cases) and that gives a clue that it could be the new variant.

But not all "S-gene dropouts" will necessarily be Omicron - full genomic sequencing is needed to be sure.

So far, in South Africa, most people infected are young and their symptoms have been mild.

There is some suggestion that the variant could be causing some slightly different symptoms to Delta - including aches and pains, and no loss of taste or smell - but it's too early to say for certain.

Hospitals in South Africa are seeing more people admitted with more serious symptoms - but many are unvaccinated or have had only one dose. It will take a few more weeks to work out if deaths are increasing too.

In the UK, where large numbers of people are protected with two or three doses of a Covid vaccine, some scientists say Omicron could be much milder and have less of an impact.