The new variant is called VUI-202012/01, the first “Variant Under Investigation” in the UK in December 2020. Although scientists are looking for more information about the variant, its impact is already noticeable.
Several countries have now imposed restrictions on UK travelers. British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Sunday that the variant was “out of control” and that Prime Minister Boris Johnson was due to chair an emergency meeting on Monday as his government tried to deal with the consequences.
This is what you need to know.
A variant occurs when the genetic structure of a virus changes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All viruses mutate over time and new variants are common, including the new coronavirus.
Chris Whitty, chief English physician, said this particular variant “contains 23 different changes,” which he described as an unusually large number. Whitty said the variant was responsible for 60% of new infections in London, which almost doubled just last week.
This finding has immediate implications for virus control. More cases could cause even greater pressure on hospitals and health care workers as they enter an already particularly difficult winter period and ultimately cause more deaths.
Where did the variant originate from and how was it taken?
The new variant of Covid-19 originated in the southeast of England, according to the World Health Organization.
PHE has said that back-tracking, using genetic testing, suggests the variant first emerged in England in September. It then circulated at very low levels until mid-November.
“The increase in cases related to the new variant first appeared in late November when PHE was investigating why infection rates in Kent [in southeast England] they were not falling despite national restrictions. Then we discovered a cluster related to this variant that was spreading rapidly in London and Essex, ”PHE said.
Several experts have also suggested that this new variant could have been amplified due to a supercharger event, meaning that the current increase in cases could also have been caused by human behavior.
“A higher rate of genomic growth in sequenced samples may not necessarily mean higher transmissibility, for example, if there has been a radish of several thousand people in which this variant was introduced and many people became infected mainly in this radish, may seem very high compared to lower backgrounds of the non-variant virus, “Julian Tang, a clinical virologist at the University of Leicester, told Tang Media Center.
Which countries are affected?
The variant has already spread worldwide. In addition to the United Kingdom, the variant has also been detected in Denmark, the Netherlands and Australia, according to the WHO.
Australia has identified two cases of the variant in a quarantined area in Sydney and Italy has also identified a patient infected with the variant.
A similar but separate variant has also been identified in South Africa, where scientists say it is spreading rapidly across the country’s coastal areas.
Is the new variant more deadly?
According to Whitty, there is no evidence to suggest that the new variant is more deadly so far, which he said was being worked on “urgently” on Saturday to examine the implications of mortality.
“We do not see any increase in virulence (clinical severity) or any abrupt change in [spike protein] this will reduce the effectiveness of vaccines, so far, ”Tang told the Science Media Center (SMC).
Several experts have pointed out that for some viruses increasing transmissibility may accompany declining mortality and virulence rates. This may mean that the variant is less lethal, although it is currently too early to know.
“New viruses will adapt to a new host over time, with a decrease in mortality and possibly an increase in transmissibility,” Tang said.
“As viruses are transmitted, those can be selected that can increase ‘virological’ success, which changes the properties of the virus over time. Typically, this leads to more transmission and less virulence,” said Martin Hibberd , a professor of emerging infectious diseases at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, told the SMC.
Will the vaccines developed work against this variant?
Whitty said Saturday that current vaccines should still work against the new variant.
His statements were echoed in the US by the head of Operation Warp Speed. “So far, I don’t think there has been any variant that was resistant to the vaccine,” Moncef Slaoui told CNN on Sunday. “We can’t rule it out, but it’s not there now.”
The UK, US and EU have authorized the Pfizer / BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine and several others are under development.
What steps are being taken to contain the variant?
The British chief medical officer has urged people in Britain to take steps to reduce the spread of the virus.
“Given this latest development, it is now more vital than ever that the public continue to take action in their area to reduce transmission,” Whitty said Saturday.
Large areas of England, including London and the South East, are now under strict Covid-19 level 4 restrictions, which is just the latest disruption to the Christmas holiday in the shadow of the pandemic.
Dozens of countries in Europe, the Middle East and America have also announced travel bans in the UK.
Others, such as Greece and Spain, have imposed restrictions that force travelers arriving from Britain to undergo coronavirus or quarantine testing.
The first American expert on infectious diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, told CNN on Monday that he would discourage additional restrictions on travel to the UK. Fauci has said that “without a doubt, we need to be vigilant,” but “we don’t want to react too much.”