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Health Secretary Matt Hancock stated a minimum of 60 totally different native authorities had recorded Covid infections attributable to the brand new variant, the BBC reported on Monday.
He stated the World Health Organization had been notified and UK scientists have been doing detailed research.
He stated there was “nothing to suggest” it brought on worse illness or that vaccines would now not work.
He instructed MPs in the House of Commons that during the last week, there had been sharp, exponential rises in coronavirus infections throughout London, Kent, elements of Essex and Hertfordshire.
“We’ve currently identified over 1,000 cases with this variant predominantly in the South of England although cases have been identified in nearly 60 different local authority areas.
“We have no idea the extent to which it is because of the brand new variant however regardless of its trigger we now have to take swift and decisive motion which sadly is completely important to regulate this lethal illness whereas the vaccine is rolled out.”
England’s Chief Medical Officer Prof Chris Whitty said current coronavirus swab tests would detect the new variant that has been found predominantly in Kent and neighbouring areas in recent weeks.
The changes or mutations involve the spike protein of the virus – the part that helps it infect cells, and the target Covid vaccines are designed around.
It is too soon to know exactly what this will do to the behaviour of the virus.
Prof Alan McNally, an expert at the University of Birmingham, told the BBC: “Let’s not be hysterical. It doesn’t suggest it is extra transmissible or extra infectious or harmful.
“It is something to keep an eye on.
“Huge efforts are ongoing at characterising the variant and understanding its emergence. It is essential to maintain a peaceful and rational perspective on the pressure as that is regular virus evolution and we anticipate new variants to come back and go and emerge over time.”
Dr Jeremy Farrar, Director of Wellcome, said it was potentially serious. “The surveillance and analysis should proceed and we should take the mandatory steps to remain forward of the virus.”
There is a simple rule for understanding all “new pressure” or “new variants”: Ask whether the behaviour of the virus has changed.
This is crucial as viruses mutate all the time, it’s just what they do. And so far we’ve been given the “scare” but not the “reply”.
Matt Hancock said the new variant of coronavirus “could also be related” with the faster spread in the south-east of England.
This is not the same as saying it “is inflicting” the rise and Hancock did not say this virus has evolved to spread from person-to-person more readily.
New strains can become more common for reasons that have nothing to do with the virus.
One explanation for the emergence of the “Spanish pressure” over the summer was tourism.
So at the moment there are scary headlines everywhere, but still no scientific detail to know how significant this is.
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(This story has not been edited by Newslivenation workers and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)