The Secretary of Health has said that two cases of the new, “highly contagious” COVID-19 variant linked to South Africa have been identified in the UK.
Matt Hankok told a Downing Street news conference that the two cases were links to people who had traveled from South Africa over the past few weeks.
Those with the new variant and their contacts are isolated.
It is thought that there may be a South African strain behind the high number of people admitted to the hospital in the country COVID-19.
Dr. Susan Hopkins of Public Health England said the new variant Recently discovered in the UK, And those found in South Africa are “very different” and “different mutations”.
“They both seem to be highly contagious,” he added.
Dr Hopkins told a news conference at No. 10: “We have more evidence of the exchange for UK diversity because we are studying it in great detail with academic partners.
“We are still learning about the South African variant. We hope the system we have will help control the spread.”
Regarding the vaccine, Dr. Hopkins said that the vaccine “produces a strong immune response, which is broad and works against a lot of variations on the virus” and “there is currently no evidence that the vaccine does not work.”
Mr Hancock said: “This new variant is very contagious because it is more contagious and it looks more mutated than the new variant found in the UK.”
The new strain is “soon to be analyzed in Portton Town,” the health secretary added.
There are immediate restrictions on travel from South Africa.
In addition, it has been stated that persons in contact with anyone who has been in South Africa for the past fortnight should be isolated.
The Health Secretary said, “I am incredibly grateful to the South African government for the rigor and openness and transparency of their science. We did exactly what we did when we discovered a new variant here.”
Analysis: South African variant ‘seems to have high viral load’
Thomas Moore, Science Reporter
The new South African strain of the virus is a significant concern and the government has moved quickly to close it.
501. Health officials in the country believe that the V2 variant is more common in younger people.
It also seems to have a high viral load, with the result being easily spread from person to person.
This is thought to be partly due to the development of recent epidemics in South Africa.
Genetic analysis shows that it shares some mutations of a new strain that is already prevalent in the UK, but the two viruses have evolved separately.
The Secretary of Health has ordered the immediate self-isolation of anyone who has visited, or been in contact with, South Africa in the past two weeks.
Rapid genetic analysis of strains in the UK has once again taken a mutated virus at an early stage – but will it soon be enough?
