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The UK health department head says the new strain of coronavirus, recently found in the UK, “may spread faster” than other forms of SARS-CoV-2. The news fuels existing speculation, which foresees new restrictions against the epidemic around the UK winter holidays, writes CNN.
Professor Chris Whitty said “urgent work” was underway to determine if the new strain, which spread in south-east England, posed a danger to the mortality rate.
“There is currently no 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.
The genetic fingerprint of the newly detected form is easy to trace, but this does not necessarily indicate an increased risk of disease. It is still too early to determine whether the forms of COVID-19 associated with this viral strain pose a greater danger.
Several experts in genetics and epidemiology find that it could only be one “lucky” strain, whose spread has been amplified amid over-expansion. Therefore, both mutation and sheer chance could be to blame for the large number of infected people.
New measures against COVID-19 could be announced in the UK
Boris Johnson will hold a press conference on Saturday after his cabinet meeting. The authorities will address the problem of the SARS-CoV-2 strain to determine possible measures.
The COVID-19 scientific group with which the British Government collaborates has also warned that the new strain is a “real cause for concern” and has called for urgent action.
“Research is under way to understand more, but immediate action is essential. There is no part of Britain and the world that is not concerned. As in many countries, the situation is fragile,” Jeremy Farrar wrote on Twitter.
Chris Whitty also urged people to take more precautions. “Given this latest development, it is now more important than ever that the public continue to act in small areas to reduce transmission,” he said.
Whitty will most likely join Boris Johnson and Patrick Vallance, the government’s top science adviser, at Saturday’s press conference.
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