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The new variant of the virus was discovered on Tuesday. Two cases have been identified so far, one in London and the other in North West England. These are infected people who have had contact with people who traveled to the UK from South Africa in recent weeks, the BBC reports.
Previously, a variant that is estimated to be up to 70 percent more contagious had been found in the UK.
– This variant is very worrying because it is even more contagious and appears to have mutated more than the new variant that has been discovered in the UK, says Health Minister Matt Hancock according to Reuters.
The UK has now introduced travel restrictions. Everyone who has visited South Africa in the last two weeks and people they have had contact with should be quarantined immediately.
– These measures are temporary while we continue to investigate this new variant that will soon be analyzed, says the Minister of Health according to The Independent.
In South Africa it has The new variant of the virus has raised growing concern. According to the researchers, the variety has spread rapidly and has become dominant in some parts of the country. The country’s health minister, Zweli Mkhize, warned that “young people who were previously healthy are getting seriously ill.” It is believed to be behind a higher number of inmates in hospitals.
The variant shares some similarities with the more contagious variant previously discovered in the UK. They both have a mutation called N501Y, which is crucial to the way the virus infects cells.
– I think our biggest concern at the moment is South Africa, says Professor Neil Ferguson from Imperial College London on the variants and continues:
– There are definitely anecdotal reports of explosive outbreaks of that virus and very pronounced increases in the number of cases.
Susan Hopkins Vine The British Public Health Agency PHE believes that the new South African variant is very different from the other variant found in the country. At the same time, he makes a reassuring statement about the vaccine.
“Currently we have no evidence that the vaccine does not work, what it really means is that there is strong evidence that it will work because the vaccine causes a strong immune response and is broad and acts on large variations of the virus,” he said. she to The Independent.
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