Up to 6 circumstances of Manaus variant of coronavirus detected in UK

Up to 6 circumstances of a extremely transmissible variant of coronavirus first recognized within the Brazilian metropolis of Manaus have been detected in Britain for the primary time, English well being officers stated on Sunday.
Three circumstances had been present in England and one other three in Scotland.
Two of three circumstances present in England had been from a family within the South Gloucestershire space that had a historical past of journey to Brazil. A 3rd, at present unlinked, case has but to be recognized, Public Health England stated.
The danger to the broader group from the Gloucestershire circumstances was thought-about low however as a precaution officers had been shifting rapidly to deploy testing and growing the sequencing of optimistic coronavirus samples from the world, PHE stated.
The Scottish circumstances weren’t linked to those in England.
The P.1 variant detected in Manaus shares some mutations with a variant first recognized in South Africa and it’s doable that it would reply much less effectively to present vaccines, PHE stated.
Susan Hopkins, PHE’s strategic response director for COVID-19, stated Britain’s superior gene sequencing capabilities meant it was discovering extra variants and mutations than many different international locations.
Late final 12 months Britain detected a extra transmissible variant of coronavirus that’s believed to have originated close to London and that led to a pointy rise in circumstances within the nation and past.
“The important thing to remember is that COVID-19, no matter what variant it is, spreads in the same way. That means the measures to stop it spreading do not change,” Hopkins stated.
PHE and check and hint officers system had been following up with all passengers on Swiss Air flight LX318 from Sao Paulo to London through Zurich, which landed at London Heathrow on February 10, to check them and their households.
All three of the Scottish circumstances had been recognized in individuals who returned to the nation through Paris and London who self-isolated for the required interval of 10 days.
“Due to the potential concerns around this variant other passengers on the flight used by the three individuals from London to Aberdeen are being contacted,” the Scottish authorities stated.