[ad_1]
LONDON – Several European countries have banned flights from the UK for fear of the new variant of the coronavirus that has forced millions of people in Britain to cancel their Christmas plans.
Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Italy announced restrictions on travel to the UK. Others are likely to follow suit, as scientists warned that the new strain spread more quickly than its predecessor.
With infection levels in the UK rising rapidly, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a press conference on Saturday that London and the south-east of the UK would be subject to the strictest blocking rules, known as “Level 4”.
As a result, nonessential stores, gyms, cinemas, hair salons, and bowling alleys will be forced to close for two weeks, while people will be restricted from meeting another person from another household in a public space on air. free.
A “bubble” policy, which allows up to three households to meet during the holiday period in parts of the country that are not under Tier 4 restrictions, will be severely curtailed and will only apply on Christmas Day, Johnson said.
Virus mutation
UK health officials first identified the new variant, which British scientists have called “VUI – 202012/01,” in mid-September, said Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Organization’s Covid-19 technical lead. Health, to the BBC on Sunday.
It’s “very common” for viruses to mutate, Simon Clarke, associate professor of cell microbiology at the UK’s University of Reading, told NBC News.
“When they cause an infection, they enter our cells and take over the cell to make more copies of themselves to reproduce, and each time they do, a new set of genetic material is created for each new virus,” he said, and added. that the new strain is “certainly fitter” than its predecessor.
Professor Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, warned in a statement Saturday that it is seen to be spreading more rapidly.
But he said there is no evidence so far to suggest that the new strain is more potent in terms of serious illness or fatality.
Vaccine effectiveness
“Our working assumption from all scientists is that the vaccine response should be adequate for this virus,” Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK government’s chief scientific adviser, told a news conference on Saturday.
But Ravindra Gupta, a professor of clinical microbiology at the University of Cambridge, said he was concerned the virus was on its way to becoming resistant to vaccines.
“While it may not be really tough, it may not take as many changes after this to get it there,” he told NBC News.
However, Clarke said that different versions of flu vaccines are required each year and he doesn’t see why it can’t be the same for the coronavirus.
Preventing the spread
The new variant has so far been identified in Denmark, the Netherlands and Australia, Van Kerkhove said.
“The more this virus spreads, the more opportunities it has to change, so we really have to do everything we can right now to prevent the spread. Minimizing that spread will reduce the chances of it changing, “he said.
More sequencing that can be done will be helpful in determining whether this variant is circulating elsewhere, he added.
Gupta said the new strain should be of concern in the United States and other countries around the world. Warning that the virus could mutate again, he said: “People need to intensify their vigilance.”
In the UK, tough new lockdown restrictions were a “necessary measure” to control the virus, Dr. Julian Tang, a clinical virologist at the University of Leicester, said in a statement. But he warned that even a few hours on Christmas Day could still result in an infection.
Therefore, officials are urging people at the lowest echelons in England to maintain social distancing as much as possible.
Political consequences
While scientists have praised Johnson for increasing restrictions, his political rivals have accused him of causing “heartbreak”For millions of families due to last minute restrictions.
Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labor Party, asked Johnson to apologize to the public for the way the shutdown had been handled.
“At the heart of the problem here is a prime minister who simply does not want to be unpopular and therefore will not make the difficult decisions that are necessary, until he is forced to make them at the last minute,” he told an online outlet. Press conference.
[ad_2]
