[ad_1]
The new variant of the coronavirus discovered in England worries the authorities. The mutation has also been detected in other countries.
The British must isolate themselves. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has already canceled Christmas. The new variant of the coronavirus, which is spreading in south-east England, is, according to the researchers’ initial findings, up to 70 percent more contagious than the previously known form.
The country faces a huge challenge, said Health Secretary Matt Hancock. “The new variant is out of control and we have to get it back under control,” Hancock told the BBC on Sunday.
Flights stopped
Some EU countries have already stopped flights to and from the UK. In Austria, a landing ban is also imposed for flights from Great Britain. “The details are currently being worked out,” says the Health Ministry.
But the mutation was not only detected in England, so far there have been eleven cases outside Great Britain, nine in Denmark and one in the Netherlands and one in Australia.
WHO calls for a tightening of measures
The World Health Organization, WHO, has called on its European member states to toughen their corona measures in light of a new variant of the coronavirus. “In Europe, where transmission is high and widespread, countries must intensify their control and prevention measures,” a WHO Europe spokeswoman said on Sunday.
According to the researchers, the mutation is more contagious, but so far there is no evidence that the new variant causes more or more serious pathological processes. The authorities also assume that the vaccines are also effective against the mutation.
Still, the consequences for the healthcare system are cause for concern. There are currently over 18,000 people infected in UK hospitals, almost as many as at the height of the first wave of infections in the spring.
