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(CNN) – The UK has detected a new variation of covid-19 which, according to England’s medical director, is more contagious than previous variants.
Professor Chris Whitty says “urgent work” is being done to rule out whether the new strain, prevalent in south-east England, could cause a higher mortality rate.
“There is no current evidence to suggest that the new strain causes a higher mortality rate or affects vaccines and treatments, although urgent work is being done to confirm this,” he said in a statement.
What we know
Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the new variant could be up to 70% more transmittable than the previous variant, although there is still “considerable uncertainty”.
Where it has been detected
The World Health Organization (WHO) says the new variant has also been identified in Denmark, the Netherlands, and Australia.
Australia said on Monday it had detected two cases of the new variant in Australian quarantine facilities.
What are other countries doing in response
More than a dozen countries have banned travel from the UK in response to the new variant.
These countries include the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.
Other countries have imposed other restrictions, such as the Czech Republic, which imposed a mandatory 10-day quarantine on anyone arriving from the UK.
