Boris Johnson warns of dramatic Christmas tightening following virus mutation



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Following a series of news reports that UK researchers have notified authorities that a new mutation in the coronavirus has properties that make it spread faster than previous versions of the virus, Downing Street announced a press conference with Johnson. and health officials on Saturday afternoon.

– It appears that the spread is driven by a new variant of the virus. Our advisory group has spent the last few days analyzing this. There is no evidence that this leads to more serious illness or higher mortality, Johnson says.

The new variant has not reached Norway, reports FHI.

– The variant seen in the UK has several changes, i.e. mutations and deletions. Some of these have been seen in viruses in Norway as well, but not in the combination reported by the UK, the Line Vold department head at FHI informs NTB.

– Heavy heart

Johnson added that the variant of the virus can increase the R number by 0.4 or more and can be up to 70 percent more contagious than the regular virus variant. There is currently no indication that vaccines approved in several countries against Covid-19 are less effective against this variant of the virus.

– We are introducing new restrictions in London, South East England and East England which are now Level 3. They will be Level 4, which will be similar to the restrictions we had during the national lockdown in November, says Johnson.

Johnson also urges all English to stay in his region.

At Christmas, Johnson says:

– It is with great regret that we cannot celebrate Christmas as planned.

New upper level

In fact, authorities had given residents the opportunity to “mingle” with up to two other households over Christmas.

Johnson announced at the press conference that this will now only apply on December 25 and cautioned against celebrating the New Year.

The top tier, which is brand new, will also mean a loud “stay at home” call, just weeks after millions of Britons ended their second shutdown, British newspapers wrote on Saturday afternoon. Johnson himself said earlier this week that it would be “inhumane” to shut down Britain during the Christmas celebrations, but now he has been forced to adjust again.

– The new version of covid-19 is concerning and a real reason to get serious and take extra precautions. Studies are underway to understand more, but it is essential that we act quickly. There is no part of Britain and the world that cannot take this seriously. As in many countries, the situation is fragile, wrote one of the advisers to the country’s think tank for the crown, Sir Jeremy Farrar, on Twitter early Saturday.

The new variant of the virus has been named N501Y and has also been detected nine times in Denmark. The Danish Statens Seruminstitut believes it is no more serious than the common coronavirus.

UK researchers believe that the virus is much more contagious, but does not cause more serious illness than the common variant of Covid-19. It is common for viruses to mutate, so the discovery of a new variant is not unexpected.(Terms)Copyright Dagens Næringsliv AS and / or our suppliers. We would like you to share our cases via a link, which leads directly to our pages. Copying or other use of all or part of the content can only be done with written permission or as permitted by law. For more terms, see here.

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