Coronavirus Variant Identified In England Disease Surveillance 14/12/2020 • J Hacker Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window) Warning: Attempt to read property "post_title" on null in /home/clients/58f2a29976672af522a8f4d82ffa28b6/web/wp-content/plugins/better-image-credits/better-image-credits.php on line 227 UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock. Sixty different local authorities in England have reported around 1,000 infections caused by a new COVID-19 variant. The variant is not thought to have an impact on disease severity or mortality, or on the efficacy of a vaccine. It has been reported to WHO. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in Parliament today: “We have identified a new variant of coronavirus which may be associated with the faster spread in the South East of England. Initial analysis suggests that this variant is growing faster than the existing variants.” “WHO [is] working together with scientists around the world, evaluating each of the variants that are being identified,” said Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO COVID-19 Technical Lead, in a press briefing on Monday. She added that studies designed to understand the “virus’ behaviour, its ability to transmit or its ability to cause different forms of disease” are “underway in the UK”. The UK is currently experiencing a sharp rise in cases, notably in London, the South East and South Wales. “Above all, this is a reminder that there is still so much to learn about COVID-19 … The speed at which this has been picked up on is also testament to this phenomenal research effort,” said Dr Jeremy Farrar, Director of Wellcome. “However, there is no room for complacency. We have to remain humble and be prepared to adapt and respond to new and continued challenges as we move into 2021.” He added that there will be surprises in how the virus “evolves and [in] the trajectory of the pandemic in the coming year.” The full statement delivered by Matt Hancock is available here. Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window) Combat the infodemic in health information and support health policy reporting from the global South. Our growing network of journalists in Africa, Asia, Geneva and New York connect the dots between regional realities and the big global debates, with evidence-based, open access news and analysis. To make a personal or organisational contribution click here on PayPal.