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New measures are expected to be announced when Prime Minister Boris Johnson holds a press conference on the issue at 5 p.m. Norwegian time.
The British government has held an emergency meeting on the issue on both Friday night and Saturday, and there are many signs that new measures will now be introduced before Christmas, including the possibility of new regional restrictions.
The BBC reports Saturday afternoon that London will likely be declared a level four area, as will the south-east of England. It is unclear what this will mean, as the British system has so far been based on three tiers. A level four will involve even more stringent infection control measures.
Plans to lower infection control rules in connection with the holiday celebration may also be affected.
Found in Denmark
It is common for viruses to mutate, so the discovery of a new variant is not unexpected.
The new variant of the virus has been called N501Y and has so far not been discovered in Norway, according to the National Institute of Public Health. It has been tested nine times in Denmark. The Danish Statens Seruminstitut believes it is no more serious than the common coronavirus.
The Scottish Government will also hold a meeting on Saturday afternoon on the situation. According to the BBC, Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon says it may be necessary to step up preventive measures to prevent the spread. He is also expected to hold a press conference later on Saturday where the topic will be new infection control measures.
Meetings have also been held between regional representatives from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on the subject.
It does not affect the vaccine
Chris Whitty, the UK government’s chief medical adviser, says computer modeling and the rapid increase in recorded cases in southern England are the reason they believe the new variant of the virus may spread faster.
As of yet, there is no reason to believe that the mutated virus is more deadly or that it has changed in such a way that treatment methods or vaccines are affected, it adds.
“We have notified the World Health Organization and are continuing our analyzes of the available data to improve our understanding,” Whitty said in a statement.
