Mysterious person searching the UK infected with the Covid variant in Brazil

Health officials in the UK are eager to track down one of six people infected with a more contagious variant of the coronavirus, initially identified in Brazil.

Up to six cases of the new strain – dubbed P.1 and considered a “variant of concern” by global health experts – have been detected in the UK, with three cases in Scotland and three in England.

However, what worries officials is that one of the three cases found in England has not been located. The government issued a statement on Sunday noting that two of the cases in England belong to a home in south Gloucestershire, with a history of travel to Brazil, and “there is a third case, currently unrelated”.

The cases in South Gloucestershire, south-east England, were quickly followed up by a Public Health England team and their contacts were identified and re-tried, the government said. All passengers on the same flight, the Swiss Air LX318 flight from Sao Paulo, via Zurich, to London Heathrow on February 10, were also tracked down by officials.

As a precaution, health officials are intensifying testing for asymptomatic cases in the South Gloucestershire area and increasing sequencing of positive samples in the area.

However, more research is being done in relation to a third separate case of the variant identified in England, and health officials asked anyone not to receive the result of a Covid test conducted on 12 or 13 February.

“The person did not complete their test registration card, so no follow-up details are available,” the government noted.

“Therefore, we ask that anyone who has taken a test on 12 or 13 February and has not received their result or has an incomplete test registration card, call 119 in England or 0300 303 2713 in Scotland to obtain help as soon as possible “.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock will hold a meeting on Monday later to update British lawmakers from all sides on the variant, the BBC reported.

Health officials are concerned that the variant first identified in Brazil is believed to be a more infectious strain of the coronavirus and may cause more serious infections. He is also concerned that it could make coronavirus vaccines less effective, although this is not confirmed, and is currently being investigated to see if this is the case.

While scientists are conducting this research, vaccine manufacturers are developing booster shots to target variants.

Britain has already fought the spread of a much more infectious variant that was responsible for an increase in cases in the winter. The strain has become dominant in the country and has spread all over the world.

The latest weekly report from the World Health Organization said 101 countries have now reported cases of the variant first identified in Britain.

Regarding the strain found in Brazil, he stated that so far 29 countries had reported cases. This P.1 variant was first identified in four travelers from Brazil to Japan in January, during the routine check-up at Haneda Airport, outside Tokyo.

The strain has been designated as “worrying,” as it shares some crucial mutations with the variant first identified in South Africa. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, variant P.1 has 17 unique mutations, and was also first detected in the United States in late January.

When the first cases of this variant were detected in the UK, the rules required that anyone traveling from abroad be isolated at home for 10 days.

However, this changed on 15 February and now travelers to the UK are required to quarantine in hotels, at their own expense, for 10 days. In mid-January, the United Kingdom banned the entry of travelers from several South American countries into the country, unless they had residence rights.

The move was an attempt to prevent more infectious variants from spreading and potentially undermining the hitherto successful deployment of coronavirus vaccines in the country. On Sunday, the UK reached another milestone as it vaccinated 20 million people with a first dose of Covid vaccine.

Dr Susan Hopkins, PHE’s strategic response director for Covid-19 and NHS Test and Trace Medical Advisor, said new cases in the UK were identified thanks to the country’s advanced sequencing capabilities “meaning that we find more variants and mutations than many other countries and therefore can act quickly. “

“The important thing to remember is that the Covid-19, regardless of the variant in question, extends in the same way. This means that measures to prevent it from spreading do not change,” he said, defending a good personal hygiene and just leaving the house. for essential reasons.

The three cases identified in Scotland were found in people who had returned to Aberdeen from Brazil via Paris and London. These cases are not related to the three cases in England.

As required at the time, the individuals self-isolated after returning to Scotland and subsequently tested positive for coronavirus. People were isolated during the required ten-day period, the Scottish government said in a statement.

Due to possible concerns around this variant, other passengers on the flight from London to Aberdeen were contacted, the Scottish government noted.