A new strain of the Coronavirus has been detected in England which is rapidly spreading in the southern parts of the country as more than 60 local health authorities have reported cases caused by this variant, Matt Hancock, the UK’s Secretary of State for Health has confirmed.
The UK has also notified the World Health Organization (WHO) in this regard while British scientists have started studying the new strain of Coronavirus to ascertain its properties.
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While briefing the MPs in the House of Commons on Monday, the Conservative MP said that over the last week, “there had been sharp, exponential rises in Coronavirus infections across London, Kent, parts of Essex and Hertfordshire.”
More than 1,000 Coronavirus cases due to the new variant predominantly in the South of England have been reported since last week.
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Hancock added that due to insufficient evidence at the moment, it cannot be said with certainty that whether the new variant is causing worse disease or vaccines would prove equally effective against it as well.
Prof Alan McNally, an expert at the University of Birmingham, has said that the development is normal in virus evolution and more variants are anticipated to come and become extinct over time, adding that it is something which the British government ought to keep an eye on.
