- A new variant of coronavirus has been found, which is growing faster in some parts of England, MPs have been told.
THD NewsDesk, England: Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced that 60 various regional officials had reported Covid cases generated by the modern variant.
He said the World Health Organization had been reported to UK experts who were doing specific subjects.
He said there was “nothing to suggest” it caused the more severe disease or that vaccines would not work.
He told MPs in the House of Commons that there had been sharp, exponential rises in coronavirus infections across London, Kent, parts of Essex and Hertfordshire over the last week.
“We’ve currently identified over 1,000 cases with this variant predominantly in the South of England, although patients have been placed in nearly 60 different local authority areas.
“We do not know the extent to which this is because of the new variant, but no matter its cause, we have to take swift and decisive action, which unfortunately is essential to control this deadly disease while the vaccine is rolled out.”
England’s Chief Medical Officer, Prof Chris Whitty, said current coronavirus swab tests would detect the new variant found predominantly in Kent and neighboring areas in recent weeks.
The changes or mutations involve the spike protein of the virus – the part that helps it infect cells, and the target Covid vaccines are designed around.
It is too soon to know precisely what this will do to the behavior of the virus.
Prof Alan McNally, an expert at the University of Birmingham, told the BBC: “Let’s not be hysterical. It doesn’t mean it’s more transmissible or more infectious or dangerous.
“It is something to keep an eye on.
“Huge efforts are ongoing at characterizing the variant and understanding its emergence. It is important to keep a calm and rational perspective on the strain as this is normal virus evolution, and we expect new variants to come and go and emerge over time.”
Dr. Jeremy Farrar, Director of Wellcome, said it was potentially serious. “The surveillance and research must continue, and we must take the necessary steps to stay ahead of the virus.”
Matt Hancock said the new variant of coronavirus “may be associated” with the faster spread in England’s south-east.
This is not the same as saying it “is causing” the rise and Mr. Hancock did not say this virus has evolved to spread from person-to-person more readily.
New strains can become more common for reasons that have nothing to do with the virus.
One explanation for the emergence of the “Spanish strain” over the summer was tourism.
So at the moment, there are scary headlines everywhere, but still no scientific detail to know how significant this is.
Prof Jonathan Ball, Professor of Molecular Virology at Nottingham University, said: “The genetic information in many viruses can change very rapidly and sometimes these changes can benefit the virus – by allowing it to transmit more efficiently or to escape from vaccines or treatments – but many changes have no effect at all.
“Even though a new genetic variant of the virus has emerged and is spreading in many parts of the UK and across the world, this can happen purely by chance.
“Therefore, it is important that we study any genetic changes as they occur, to work out if they are affecting how the virus behaves, and until we have done that important work, it is premature to make any claims about the potential impacts of virus mutation.”
Source: The Guardian
