England identifies a new strain of coronavirus that scientists say is spreading faster

The appearance of a new variant of the coronavirus has forced the UK authorities to take tough restrictive measures in much of the UK because of the alarming rise in the number of cases of COVID-19.

Given the scientific evidence indicating that the new strain will accelerate the transmission of the virus by up to 70%, the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, was forced today to change the population’s movement plans for Christmas amid criticism of the Labor opposition for not taking these measures before.

This worrying number of infections in London and the south-east of England forced the executive to place these areas at risk level 4 from next Sunday., with the closure of stores selling non-essential items, gyms, movie theaters, while asking people to work from home.

In addition, the autonomous authorities of Wales today announced that this entire territory will be in total confinement from midnight, while the flexible movement rules will be canceled in the days before Christmas with the exception of the 25th.

In Scotland, the Chief Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, announced today that travel from Scotland to other UK countries and vice versa will not be allowed, while the number of people who can meet on Christmas Day will be limited to eight.

In Northern Ireland, the authorities of this county have also announced detention measures that will take effect from December 26 and will last six weeks.

The latest official figures indicate that 534 people died on the last day in the UK, bringing the total number of deaths since the start of the pandemic to 67,075.

After the British government announced the emergence of the new species a few days ago, authorities confirmed that they had released the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO technical director on COVID-19, told reporters this week that the UN health agency “I had no proof that this variant behaves differently” and that it was comparable to a species initially reported among mink in Europe. He said scientists would study the strain of the virus to see if there could be a difference in the way it elicits an immune response in humans.

While this variant is spreading rapidly, there is no evidence that it is more deadly or that it could impact the effectiveness of the vaccines that have been developed against the coronavirus and are already being delivered in some countries, although this is being evaluated to an extreme. urgently for your confirmation.

As explained by the Prime Minister, the new variant could increase R0 (R zero), the reproductive rate of this infectious disease. The R is currently in the UK between 1.1 and 1.2, implying an ‘exponential’ spread of the virus.

The leader of the Labor opposition, Keir Starmer, said today that “millions of families will be heartbroken” by the measures and admitted that he was frustrated at having unsuccessfully informed the prime minister a few days ago in Parliament. situation.

At level 4, only one person’s encounter with another person who does not live under the same roof is allowed outside only.

The Prime Minister asked people who fall under the various levels of restriction in which England is divided by number of cases to remain in their place of residence.

In addition, those living on Level 4 will not be able to travel abroad, albeit with “limited exceptions”, such as for work reasons, nor will they be able to travel to the English areas located in the three lower levels.

The ‘Prime Minister’ changed the plans for the Christmas period in England by noting that those who are on levels 1, 2 and 3 of the restrictions – low, moderate and substantial – only have three groups of different ceilings, only on the day to meet 25.

Until now, these meetings were allowed between December 22 and 28 to provide flexibility for families.

Speaking at the press conference at his official residence on Downing Street, Johnson said this Christmas will be the opportunity to “raise a glass for those who are not there,” hoping that these restrictions will allow families to be reunited again at Christmas. next year.

England’s chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, indicated this Saturday that due to the “rapid increase in the number of cases in the South East (of England),” the advisory group of New Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats (NERVTAG) believes “that the new species is expands “.

“We have warned WHO and we are continuing to analyze the available data to improve our understanding of the virus,” he added.

Faced with this situation, “it is now more important than ever for the population in their area to take measures to reduce transmission,” said the medical director.

He added that this new strain is yet another “terrible” moment of the pandemic, but that it is not the worst as there are currently medical treatments and also a vaccine.