The United Kingdom announced a halt to Saturday in London and parts of the country amid a rise in cases of coronavirus infection following the discovery of a new strain of the Sars-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid -19. According to experts, the new strain is 70% more contagious than other strains of the virus. It is believed that the majority of new cases in the country are driven by this variability, with up to 60% of cases in London being caused by it.
Here’s everything you need to know about the latest type of coronavirus in the UK:
Why is the variable worrying?
There has been concern about the latest variant as it is quickly replacing other versions of the virus and according to experts, this would spread more easily. Although, nothing can be said for sure but as a precautionary measure the country was put into a new lock. “It’s too early to tell … but from what we’ve seen so far it’s growing very fast, it’s growing faster than (ever before), but it’s important to look British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said at a news conference.
How new is the variant?
The opposite is not new. In fact, it was first discovered in September. In November, around a quarter of cases in London came from the new variant. This reached nearly two-thirds of cases in mid-December, according to a BBC report. Jonathan Ball, an expert at the University of Nottingham, said, “The level of evidence in the public sector is surprisingly large enough to draw strong or compelling views on whether the virus has increased in spread.”
To what extent is the distribution in the UK and worldwide?
This variant has been found throughout the UK, with the exception of Northern Ireland, but is mainly found in London, the South East and the east of England. It seems that things did not start elsewhere in the country. Data from Nextstrain, which has been monitoring the genetic codes of viral samples around the world, show that cases in Denmark and Australia have come from the UK. The Netherlands has also reported issues. A similar variant that has emerged in South Africa shares some of the same mutations, but does not appear to be related to this one.
Will the mutation be more lethal?
There is no evidence to suggest the same, although this is being monitored. However, just a larger spread would be enough to cause problems for hospitals. If the new variant means more people are infected more quickly, that would include more people needing hospital treatment.
Will the vaccines work against the new variant?
Almost certainly yes, or at least for now.