The new contagious strain of COVID-19 that has appeared in the UK does not appear to be more deadly, Dr Vivek Murthy, who was nominated for the surgeon general, said on Sunday.
“This news from the UK seems to be about a new strain of virus that is more transmissible, more contagious than the virus we’ve seen before,” Murthy told NBC News’ Meet the Press.
“Although it appears to be more communicable, we do not yet have evidence that it is a more deadly virus for a person who acquires it.”
The former surgeon general, who was seconded by President-elect Joe Biden to return to this position, added that the new strain does not prevent the vaccine.
“There is no reason to believe that the vaccines that have been developed will not be effective against this virus,” Murthy said.
The new strain has spread rapidly to the south-east of England, accounting for over 60% of new infections in London.
Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, who is the technical leader of the World Health Organization for COVID-19, said on Sunday that the new strain has made its way across borders as well.
“We understand that this variant was also identified in Denmark, in the Netherlands and that there was a case in Australia and it did not spread further there,” Van Kerkhove told the BBC on Sunday.
She said it was worrying that the new strain was “spreading and having so many mutations”.
“The more this virus spreads, the more opportunities it has to change. So we have to do everything we can right now to prevent the spread, ”she said.
Some regions in the south-east of England have been placed under stricter blockades – and the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy have banned flights from the UK.