COVID-19 Variant: Second 'More Transmissible Strain' of Coronavirus Linked to South Africa Detected in UK, Says Matt Hancock
Hancock, in a televised appeal, asked all those who returned from South Africa in the past two weeks to self-isolate themselves. In case of finding symptoms related to COVID-19, they should contact their nearest National Health Service (NHS) centre at the earliest, he said.
London, December 23: Gripped under a raging health crisis due to a mutated version of coronavirus, the health authorities in the United Kingdom have now detected "another strain" of the virus causing COVID-19. The new strain, which has been detected barely a few days after the first mutated variant was found, is also stated to be "more transmissible".
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock, while speaking to reporters on Wednesday, said the new strain of virus is suspected to be brought in by passengers who returned from other countries, more specifically South Africa. Amid New Coronavirus Strain Fears, 20 UK Returnees Test COVID-19 Positive in India So Far.
Hancock, in a televised appeal, asked all those who returned from South Africa in the past two weeks to self-isolate themselves. In case of finding symptoms related to COVID-19, they should contact their nearest National Health Service (NHS) centre at the earliest, he said.
"And as part of our surveillance and thanks to the impressive genomic capability of the South Africans, we've detected two cases of another new variant of coronavirus here in the UK. Both are contacts of cases who have travelled from South Africa over the past few weeks," Hancock added.
The Health Secretary, however, lauded his South African counterpart for the transparency and openness in alerting the UK and sharing all details related to the new coronavirus strain with them.
Hancock appealed the UK residents to strictly comply with the lockdown orders issued by the government. "Cases have risen 57% in the last week. The average COVID(-19) hospital admissions are 1,909 a day, that's the highest figure since mid-April," he said, adding that a total of "691 deaths" were recorded in a single day on Tuesday.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 23, 2020 10:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).