A new strain of the Coronavirus has been identified in the UK, which has been spreading rapidly in London and the South East of England. The British government has reported that the new strain maybe 70 per cent more contagious than the previous virus. This new form of Coronavirus is considered to be quite dangerous, after which stringent restrictions have been imposed in the UK. The British government has also cancelled a five-day concession during Christmas.
Since this story, several countries in Europe have banned travel to Britain. India has also expressed concern over it and has banned all passenger flights coming from Britain. However, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has said that there is no need to be afraid and nervous about it.
The new strain was identified in September and in the past week, the situation in Britain has worsened. More than 35,000 cases of coronavirus have been reported in the past week and 326 people have died. Turkey and Switzerland have also temporarily banned all flights coming from the UK, given that two people are succumbing to the virus every hour.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman revealed today that the British overseas territory of Gibraltar had identified at least one case of the strain.
Countries that have confirmed the new strain of the virus:
According to Professor Calum Semple, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Liverpool, claimed the new variant would 'out-compete all the other strains' because it has the evolutionary advantage of being able to spread more easily.
The strain, currently called VUI-202012/01, has already been confirmed in Denmark, Gibraltar, the Netherlands, Australia and Italy. There have also been unverified reports of cases in Belgium, according to a report in the Daily Mail.
Though unconfirmed, France and South Africa also believe they may have cases of the mutation. French health minister Olivier Veran admitted it is 'entirely possible' the new variant is already circulating in France, despite tests not picking it up yet. Officials in South Africa say they've detected a strain very similar to the UK version.
Scotland and Wales have both picked up cases of the strain in recent weeks. It is now present in all parts of the UK apart from Northern Ireland, but First Minister Arlene Foster said it's 'probable' the virus is already circulating there, too.
The Italian health ministry said it had detected a patient infected with the virus. The Italian patient flew from the UK to Rome in the last few days with his partner, who did not test positive. The pair is now isolating.
In its bid to control the spread of the new strain of novel coronavirus, Saudi Arabia has decided to close its land borders and suspend international flights for one week. Turkey too temporarily suspended all flights from the UK, the Netherlands, Denmark, and South Africa.
While its northern neighbour Canada has banned all flights from the UK over the coronavirus variant, the health officials in the United States said that the UK travel ban was "on the table".
