Britain identifies new strain of coronavirus that scientists say is spreading faster

The emergence of a new variant of coronavirus forced the British authorities to implement harsh restrictive measures largely in the United Kingdom due to the alarming increase in cases of COVID-19.

Faced with scientific evidence that the new strain is accelerating the transmission of the virus by up to 70%, the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, was forced today to change the population movement plans for this Christmas, amid criticism of the Labor opposition for not taking these measures before.

This worrying level of infections in London and the south-east of England has forced the executive to place these areas at risk level 4 since Sunday – severe –, with the closure of stores selling non-essential items, gyms, cinemas, while people are asked to work from home.

In addition, the Welsh authorities announced today that the entire territory will be completely closed by midnight., while the flexible rules of movement in the days before Christmas are canceled, except for the 25th.

In Scotland, the Chief Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, announced today that travel from Scotland to other British nations 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 provincial authorities have also announced isolation measures that will take effect on December 26 and will last six weeks.

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

After the British government announced the appearance of the new strain a few days ago, the authorities confirmed that they had already alerted World Health Organization (WHICH).

Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO technical director for COVID-19, told reporters this week that the UN health agency “We had no evidence that this variant behaves differently” and that it was similar to a strain originally reported on the mink in Europe. He said scientists will study the strain of the virus to see if there could be a difference in how it causes an immune response in humans.

Although this is spreading rapidly, there is no evidence that it is more lethal or could have an impact on the effectiveness of coronavirus vaccines that are already available in some countries, although this extreme is being evaluated urgently for your confirmation.

As the Prime Minister explained, the new variant could increase R0 (R naught), the reproduction number of this infectious disease. R is currently in the UK between 1.1 and 1.2, which implies an “exponential” spread of the virus.

Labor leader Keir Starmer said today that “millions of families will be heartbroken” by the measures and acknowledged his frustration at unsuccessfully alerting the prime minister to the situation a few days ago in parliament.

At level 4, only meeting a person with another who does not live under the same roof will only be allowed outdoors.

The Prime Minister has asked people who are in different levels of restrictions in which England is divided, by virtue of the number of cases, to remain in their places of residence.

In addition, those living at level 4 will not be allowed to travel abroad, although with “limited exceptions”, such as for work reasons, they will not be able to travel to the English areas which are in the lower three levels.

The “Prime Minister” amended the plans for the Christmas period in England, stating that those who are at levels 1, 2 and 3 of the restrictions – small, moderate and substantial – only three groups from different ceilings, can meet only on that day 25.

To date, these meetings have been authorized between December 22-28, to provide flexibility to families.

At a news conference at his official Downing Street residence, Johnson said this Christmas will be an opportunity to “raise the glass for those who are not there,” in the hope that these restrictions will allow families to reunite at Christmas. from next year.

Medical Director of England, Chris Whitty, said on Saturday that as a result of the “rapid rise in cases in the south-east (England)”, the Advisory Group on New Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats (NERVTAG) believes “that the new strain is spreading faster”.

“We have alerted the 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 vital than ever for the population to take action in its area to reduce transmission,” said the medical director.

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