British scientific advisers have warned they believed the new variant of COVID-19 spreads more quickly than previous strains.
The identification of the “new variant” of COVID-19 – which is believed to be causing the faster spread in the South East – was announced by Health Secretary Matt Hancock this week.
More than 1,000 cases of the strain had been found, “predominantly in the south of England”, Mr Hancock told the House of Commons.
He said the new variant had been spreading faster than the existing strain of coronavirus and is believed to be fuelling the “very sharp, exponential rises” in cases across the South East.
But he sought to downplay fears, saying there was currently no evidence that the new variant would not respond to the COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out across the country.
And, he said, there was “currently nothing to suggest that this variant is more likely to cause serious disease”.
The health secretary said the fast rate of the new spread could mean this variant becomes the most dominant nationwide.
“The best way to describe it is, imagine a giant oak tree, and then a little branch that breaks off from that tree. Then that branch becomes the main trunk and the main artery of that tree,” he explained.
He added that government scientists were studying the new variant at its Porton Down facility. – Sky News.
