The UK is talking about action following confirmation that a new COVID strain is spreading faster

LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was debating with his prime ministers on Saturday what to do after it was confirmed that a new snort of the COVID-19 virus could spread more quickly and lead to a rise in cases.
England’s Chief Medical Officer, Chris Whitty, said while there was currently no evidence that the variant of the novel coronavirus was causing a higher mortality rate or affecting vaccines, emergency work was underway to to prove this.
“We have issued a warning to the World Health Organization and continue to analyze the available data to advance our understanding,” Whitty said in a statement.
The government said on Monday that an increase in infections across London and the south-east of England could be linked to a new, more susceptible version of the virus.
Johnson will hold a press conference with Whitty and the government’s chief scientific adviser at around 1600 GMT amid suggestions that he announce new emergency measures to try to address the rise in cases caused by the variable type COVID .
Britain reported 28,507 new COVID-19 cases on Friday and 489 deaths, with the “R” reproduction number between 1.1 and 1.2, meaning the number of cases is rising rapidly.
Johnson said Friday that he hoped England would not have to enter the third lockout after Christmas and has so far resisted calls to change plans to suspend him for five days over the Christmas period, which he said. allowing three individual families to meet indoors.
Much of the country, including London, is currently at the top of a three-tier system for preventing transmission. The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that ministers could now announce loops on travel between the south-east of England, including the capital, and the rest of the country.
“If we don’t take decisive action now, we will mean more suffering. We need to keep asking ourselves’ are we doing enough, are we working fast enough ‘, “said Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust and a member of the government’ s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE). ), on Twitter.
The Labor Party opposed the failure of the serial system to stop the spread of the virus.
“It has been apparent for some days that the virus is out of control in parts of the country,” said Jonathan Ashworth, a Labor health spokesman.