Mysterious person searching in the UK infected with the Brazil Covid variant

Health officials in the UK are looking forward to targeting one of six people infected with a more contagious variant of the coronavirus, originally identified in Brazil.

Up to six cases of the new strain – called P.1 and considered a “variant of concern” by global health experts – have been detected in the UK, with three cases in Scotland and three in England.

However, what bothers officials is that one of the three cases found in England has not been pursued. The government issued a statement on Sunday, noting that two of the cases in England come from a household in South Gloucestershire with a history of travel to Brazil, and “there is a third case currently unrelated”.

The cases in South Gloucestershire, in the south-east of England, were quickly followed by a team from Public Health England, and their contacts were identified and retested, the government said. All passengers on the same flight – the Swiss Air LX318 flight from Sao Paulo via Zurich to London Heathrow on February 10 – were also followed by officials.

As a precaution, health officials are stepping up testing for asymptomatic cases in the South Gloucestershire area and increasing the sequencing of positive evidence in the area.

However, a further investigation is underway into a third separate case of the variant identified in England, with health officials appealing to anyone who did not receive a result from a Covid test on 12 or 13 February to find out. present.

“The person did not complete his test registration card, so the tracking details are not available,” the government said.

“Therefore, we ask anyone who took a test on 12 or 13 February and did not receive their result or has an incomplete test registration card, to call 119 in England or 0300 303 2713 in Scotland for assistance as soon as possible. possible.”

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock will hold a meeting on Monday to update British lawmakers on all sides on the issue, the BBC reported.

Health officials are concerned that the variant first identified in Brazil is considered to be a more infectious strain of coronavirus and could cause more severe infections. There are also concerns that coronavirus vaccines may be less effective, but this is not confirmed and investigations are currently underway to see if this is the case.

While scientists are conducting this research, vaccine manufacturers are developing booster photos to target variants.

The UK has already faced the spread of a much more infectious variant that has been responsible for an increase in cases during the winter. The strain has since become dominant in the country and has spread throughout the world.

The latest weekly report from the World Health Organization said that 101 countries have now reported cases of the variant first identified in the UK.

Regarding the strain found in Brazil, he said that 29 countries have reported cases so far. This P.1 variant was first identified in four passengers from Brazil to Japan in January during a routine examination at Haneda Airport outside Tokyo.

The strain has been described as “worrying” because it shares some crucial mutations with the variant first identified in South Africa. Variant P.1 has 17 unique mutations in total, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and was also first detected in the United States in late January.

When the first cases of this variant were detected in the UK, the rules required anyone traveling abroad to isolate themselves at home for 10 days.

However, this changed on February 15, and now travelers to the UK are required to make a quarantine in hotels, at their own expense, for 10 days. In mid-January, the United Kingdom banned travelers from a number of South American countries from entering the country unless they had residence rights.

The move was an attempt to prevent the spread of several infectious variants and undermine the hitherto successful potential of the coronavirus vaccine. On Sunday, the United Kingdom reached another stage, vaccinating 20 million people with a first dose of Covid vaccine.

Dr Susan Hopkins, PHE’s strategic response director for Covid-19 and NHS Test and Trace Medical Advisor, said new cases in the UK were identified due to the country’s advanced sequencing capabilities “which means we find more options and mutations than many other countries and are therefore able to act quickly. “

“It is important to remember that Covid-19, regardless of its variant, spreads in the same way. This means that measures to stop the spread do not change,” she said, maintaining good personal hygiene and leaving only the house. for essential reasons.

The three cases identified in Scotland were found in individuals who had returned to Aberdeen from Brazil through Paris and London. These cases are not related to the three cases in England.

As required at the time, individuals went into self-isolation after returning to Scotland and then tested positive for coronavirus. The individuals self-isolated for the required 10 days, the Scottish government said in a statement.

Due to potential concerns about the variant, other passengers on the flight from London to Aberdeen were contacted, the Scottish government said.