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European countries are banning UK passengers in a bid to contain a new mutation, which is 70 percent more infectious and affects London.
Viruses change all the time. Seasonal influenza mutates every year, so it came as no surprise to scientists that variants of COVID-19 have been detected since the pandemic began.
But in recent days, concern has grown over a new strain identified in the UK.
Vaccines should still be effective against it and the new strain is not believed to be any more deadly, but people are increasingly concerned that this mutation appears to be 70 percent more infectious.
The new variant, which has been named VUI-202012/01 (the first variant under investigation in December 2020), is believed to have occurred for the first time in mid-September in the south-east of the country, in the capital London or the county of Kent.
Susan Hopkins of Public Health England said the agency notified the government on December 18 when the modeling revealed the full seriousness of the new strain. The UK presented its findings to the World Health Organization on the same day.
Since then it has spread rapidly in the southeast, becoming the dominant form of the virus there.
In London, 62 percent of the cases were due to the new variant in the week of December 9. That compares with 28 percent three weeks earlier.
In the face of this rapid development, the UK government has moved to enforce stricter lockdown measures during the upcoming Christmas period.
Earlier, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had pledged to allow people to gather for the holidays. But amid mounting criticism and on the advice of their scientific advisers, many Britons are now banned from mixing households until at least the end of December, when the new measures will be reviewed.
Patrick Vallance, the UK’s chief scientific adviser, said the new variant may be in other countries as well, but that it could have started in the UK.
The Netherlands and Belgium reacted quickly, banning travelers from the UK in an attempt to stop the spread of the new strain.
Dutch authorities said they had found at least one case of the new strain and that flights carrying passengers from the UK were banned until January 1. Belgium suspends flight and train arrivals from the UK for at least 24 hours, according to Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. who spoke to the Belgian TV channel VRT.
According to UL Medical Director Chris Whitty, current swab tests can identify the new variant.
Scientists say the new strain contains 23 changes, many associated with alterations in a protein produced by the virus.
UK Health Minister Matt Hancock has suggested that the new lockdown measures could remain in place for some time.
“Given how fast this new variant is spreading, it will be very difficult to keep it under control until we have the vaccine,” Hancock said.
Scotland’s Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Twitter that cases of the mutant strain were lower in Scotland “than in the rest of the UK” but warned that “preventive action may be needed to stop the more rapid spread. of the strain “.
More than 67,000 people have died from COVID-19 to date in the UK, making it one of the worst affected countries in Europe alongside Italy.
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