British Health Minister Matt Hancock said today (Wednesday) that health authorities have identified a new strain, in addition to the aggressive strain reported by the British in recent days. According to him, this strain is “spreading at a dangerous rate”, more than the previous strain, which itself was defined as 70 percent more contagious.
The new strain has been discovered in the last two weeks among two contaminants originating in South Africa. The UK subsequently announced aviation restrictions for the African country. The British also put in isolation those who had been in contact with the two infected South African strains and said that anyone who had come from South Africa in the last two weeks would be required to enter isolation.
The South African Ministry of Health announced last week a new genetic mutation of the virus that was apparently responsible for the increase in infection in the country.
At the press conference held yesterday, it was stated that there is currently no evidence that the vaccine will not work on the new strains. Against the background of the situation, the Minister of Health has announced the expansion of areas where restrictions will be imposed in the south east of England in accordance with the British traffic light system.
Meanwhile, Minister Hancock also updated that the vaccine developers of the University of Oxford and Astraznica Pass on the entire package of information required to obtain permission to use the vaccine. This vaccine is considered cheaper and does not require extreme cooling conditions like those of Pfizer and Moderna. The British Minister of Health has also announced the expansion of the vaccination project in the UK with a focus on the elderly population and those living in nursing homes.