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A new strain of coronavirus was discovered long ago in the UK
At first, experts dismissed the new finding as viruses often mutate and did not inform the government about it until December.
A new coronavirus mutation, which spreads 70% faster than the previous version of the virus, was identified in south-east England in September, England Public Health Specialist Dr Susan Hopkins said in an interview with Sky News.
“The mutation was first found in the patient in September and the entire genome was deciphered in October,” he said.
At first, experts didn’t give it this importance, as viruses often mutate, Hopkins explained. However, at the end of November, outbreaks of a new type of COVID-19 were recorded in Kent County and the incidence did not decrease, despite the restrictions imposed. As a result, the government was informed only on December 11.
Hopkins said that most of this type of COVID-19 was recorded in London and eastern England, but in small amounts it has also been detected in all regions of England, Wales and Scotland.
The World Health Organization announced on December 20 that a variant of the coronavirus, similar to the British one, has also been found in the Netherlands, Denmark and Australia. A similar mutation of the virus, identified in South Africa, was previously reported. There is no reason to believe that the new variant of the virus may be less sensitive to the immunity formed by currently available vaccines.
