December 19, 2020, 9:41 pm | Updated: December 19, 2020, 9:45 p.m.
A new coronavirus strain is behind the rise in infections in the UK.
Image: Getty
A new variant of the coronavirus has spread to London and the south-east and is spreading faster than the original strain.
The government’s chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, warned that the new Covid the variant was becoming the dominant strain after a rapid increase in cases in recent days.
Next to him, at Saturday’s Downing Street press conference, was English Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty, who said the new variant could be spread more quickly.
Its rapid transmission across the region has caused London, the south-east and some parts of the east of England to sink into the new Level 4 restrictions from Sunday morning.
What is the new mutant form of coronavirus? Where is the new variant common? And are there different symptoms?
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What is the new coronavirus strain?
The new strain is a mutation in the SARS-CoV-2 virus that has been at the heart of the UK coronavirus outbreak.
It has been named VUI-202012/01, the first variant investigated by Public Health England (PHE) in December.
There are currently about 4,000 mutations in the ear protein gene.
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Is the new Covid variant more deadly or dangerous?
Although the new variant is spreading faster and is therefore more difficult to control, it is currently not suggested to be more fatal or to cause more severe symptoms.
There have also been several Covid-19 mutations that have entered communities with no real consequences.
However, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said early analyzes showed that the new strain could increase the reproductive rate by 0.4 or more and that it may be up to 70% more transmissible than the old variant.
Sir Patrick confirmed this, saying the variant had a “substantial substantial increase in transmissibility”.
New strains are not always bad and can even be less virulent, but if it spreads faster and has the same severity, more people will get sick in a shorter period of time.
Will vaccines work against the new strain?
Professor Whitty said there is no current evidence to indicate that the new strain will cause a higher mortality rate or affect vaccines and treatments.
However, he said work was being done “urgently” to confirm this and warned that it was “more vital than ever” for people to continue taking steps to reduce the spread of the virus.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock also said the latest clinical advice is that it is highly unlikely that this mutation will respond to a vaccine, as it produces antibodies against many regions of the ear protein.
But PHE said this new variant includes a mutation in the spike protein and that this could cause the virus to become more infectious and spread more easily among people.
Where is the new variant common?
PHE said that as of December 13, 1,108 cases had been identified with this new variant, mainly in London and the south-east of England.
Sir Patrick said it had been confirmed in December that 60% of infections in the capital were the new variant, and said: “It is moving fast and is becoming the dominant variant.”
Professor Whitty added that there was a risk that the variant “would come out in other areas of the country where it is not currently a problem”.
However, he said measures such as social distancing and contact limitation would help prevent its spread across the UK.
What are the symptoms of the new variant?
Professor Whitty said there was nothing to indicate that the new mutation caused symptoms other than the original strain.
He also said that the tests for it remain the same and that the clinical outcome is no different for this variant.
The NHS also confirmed that the new strain produces the same symptoms, meaning people will still experience a high temperature, a persistent cough, a loss of taste and smell or any combination of all of the above.
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