A new Coronavirus strain that has caused a rise of infections in India seems to "spread faster than any previous one before", according to a Leicestershire health official – but a lack of testing here means it is hard to know if the strain has reached us yet.

Research has indicated that a new Omicron subvariant, nicknamed Arcturus, could be 1.2 times more infectious than the last.

Also known as XBB.1.16, the strain was first discovered in January and has been identified in 22 countries so far by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Data from variant trackers indicate more than 65 cases of Arcturus have been sequenced in the UK.

But according to Mike Sandys, the director of public health at Leicestershire County Council, it will become increasingly more difficult to tell if the new variant has reached the area, because of a lack of testing.

No Arcturus cases have been officially identified in Leicestershire yet, according to the health chief.

He said: "There is very limited free testing available nowadays, meaning there isn't a lot of testing going on. This means that it's very difficult to say what the state of play currently is with Covid currently. There might be some local cases of the new variant, there might not, it's hard to say.

"I've got little data now that would tell me the differences between Covid and flu and colds, particularly when it comes to which variants are doing the rounds. But, it appears that this new variant has taken off in India and clearly, like every single variant, it seems to spread faster than the previous one. Even compared to Kraken, it seems to be so many times more transmissible than the original Covid variant."

Officials from WHO have warned that the new Omicron variant is 'one to watch' and have said the situation is being monitored. In India, some states have reintroduced compulsory face masks after the country's health minister reported more than 40,000 active Covid cases last week.

But the Leicestershire health chief believes that the Arcturus variant is unlikely to cause such an effect in the UK. He added: "In a reassuring sense, much as Covid doesn't remain a lot of fun, there's no sign that this new variant is a nasty one in the sense we had originally.

"Thankfully it doesn't look to be a killer, but it's not something you want to go and catch. There's nothing to suggest it's completely out of the ordinary and that it is more deadly than others.

"But people need to treat it with respect, and not ignore it. It can cause real complications for people who are more at risk.

"People will be concerned and this is understandable, so it comes down to what we have said before, if you have symptoms and aren't feeling well, it is important to restrict the amount of going out you do. Sometimes it is unavoidable, but it is important to do things like catch it, bin it, kill it, looking after yourself, resting, plenty of fluids and also not going out if you aren't feeling well."