The United Kingdom has discovered a new variant of Covid-19 that, according to the UK Chief Medical Officer, is more contagious than previous variants.
Professor Chris Whitty says there is “urgent work” underway to rule out the possibility that the new species, which is common in the south-east of England, can cause a higher mortality rate.
“There is currently no evidence to suggest that the new strain causes a higher mortality rate or affects vaccines and treatments, although urgent work is underway to confirm this,” he said in a statement.
Here’s what else we know.
What we know about the variant:
- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the new variant could be up to 70% more transferable than the old variant, although “considerable uncertainty” still exists.
Where it was detected:
- The World Health Organization says the new variant has also been identified in Denmark, the Netherlands and Australia.
- Australia said Monday it had discovered two cases of the new variant in Australian quarantine facilities.
What other countries are doing in response:
- More than a dozen countries are banning travel from the UK in response to the new variant.
- Those countries include the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
- Other countries impose restrictions – the Czech Republic has imposed a mandatory 10-day quarantine on everyone coming from the UK.