New variant of Covid-19 hits UK

▴ New variant of Covid-19 hits UK
The new strain found in and around Kent county

A new variant of coronavirus has been found which is growing faster in some parts of England, MPs have been told.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said at least 60 different local authorities had recorded Covid infections caused by the new variant. He said the World Health Organization had been notified and UK scientists were doing detailed studies.

He said there was "nothing to suggest" it caused the worse disease or that vaccines would no longer work.

A new variant of Covid could be speeding up the spread of cases in parts of south-east England, says Matt Hancock.He told MPs in the House of Commons that over the last week, there had been sharp, exponential rises in coronavirus infections across London, Kent, parts 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 do not know the extent to which this is because of the new variant but no matter its cause we have to take swift and decisive action which unfortunately is absolutely essential to control this deadly disease while 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 mean it's more transmissible or more infectious or dangerous.

"It is something to keep an eye on.

"Huge efforts are ongoing at characterising the variant and understanding its emergence. It is important to keep a calm and rational perspective on the strain as this is normal virus evolution and we expect new variants to come and go and emerge over time."

Dr Jeremy Farrar, Director of Wellcome, said it was potentially serious. "The surveillance and research must continue and we must take the necessary steps to stay ahead of the virus."

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 "answer".

Matt Hancock said the new variant of coronavirus "may be associated" with the faster spread in the south-east of England.

This is not the same as saying it "is causing" the rise and Mr 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 strain" 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.

Story Credit - BBC

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55308211 

Tags : #NewCovidStrain #NewCovidVariant #UKNewCovidVariant #Kent #Essex #Hertfordshire #MattHancock #AlanMacnelly #WHO

About the Author


Team Medicircle

Related Stories

Loading Please wait...

-Advertisements-




Trending Now

A New Dawn for Eye Health in Obesity: How Bariatric Surgery Repairs Early Eye DamageDecember 14, 2024
Healing Invisible Wounds: How Indian Government’s Bold Initiatives Are Tackling the Mental Health CrisisDecember 14, 2024
The 8-Hour Miracle: Here’s How Doctors Rewrote a Young Girl’s FateDecember 14, 2024
University of Manchester invites applications for MSc Climate Change: Science, Society and Solutions December 13, 2024
Pollution vs. Population: Can India Survive Its Toxic Air?December 13, 2024
New Milestone: First Cryopreserved Stem Cell Donation Helps Blood Cancer Patient December 13, 2024
Everest Medicines Announces the First Prescription of VELSIPITY(R) Issued in MacauDecember 13, 2024
Plastic Pollution Goes Personal: Microplastics Found in Human BloodDecember 12, 2024
The Fat-Fuelled Weapon Against Cancer: How the Keto Lifestyle is Redefining Cancer TherapyDecember 12, 2024
Gene Therapy in India: How Indian Scientists Redefined Hemophilia TreatmentDecember 12, 2024
Empowering India’s Workforce: FinX Raises $6M from Elevar Equity to revolutionise employability in the BFSI IndustryDecember 12, 2024
India’s Win Over Malaria: A Global Health Victory in ProgressDecember 11, 2024
TB-Free India by 2025: Bold Vision or Achievable Reality?December 11, 2024
Aakash Healthcare Supports the 14th Special Athletic Meet for Children with Special NeedsDecember 11, 2024
The University of Manchester invites applications for an MSc in International Disaster ManagementDecember 10, 2024
Preventing Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission: Strategies and ImportanceDecember 10, 2024
USIBC Signs MOU with Government of Telangana, Hosts AI and GCC Industry RoundtableDecember 10, 2024
CarDekho Group’s New Auto Segment’s Shift in Fuel Preferences Report: Electric Vehicles (EVs) Lead the Chart with 26% YoY Traffic Increase December 10, 2024
India’s leading eCommerce enablement platform Shiprocket appoints industry veteran Vivek Sharma as VP of International ShippingDecember 10, 2024
Failure to find all TB cases defeats us in #endTB effortsDecember 10, 2024