Six cases of a worrying strain of coronavirus first identified in north Brazil have been found in the UK.

The variant may spread more quickly and respond less well to existing vaccines.

Cases of another Brazilian variant had already been found in the UK, however this strain, first found in Manaus, is of more concern.

Public Health England (PHE) said that three of the cases were found in England and three in Scotland.

The first two cases of the P.1 strain are from one household in South Gloucestershire with a history of travel to Brazil but the third is not linked.

The whereabouts of that individual is unknown, as PHE says the person did not complete their test registration card so follow-up details are unavailable.

Officials are asking anyone who took a test on February 12 or 13 and who has not received a result or has an uncompleted test registration card to come forward immediately.

Dr Susan Hopkins, PHE’s strategic response director for Covid-19, said: ‘We have identified these cases thanks to the UK’s advanced sequencing capabilities which means we are finding more variants and mutations than many other countries and are therefore able to take action quickly.

‘The important thing to remember is that Covid-19, no matter what variant it is, spreads in the same way. That means the measures to stop it spreading do not change.’

More follows.

Source: Read Full Article