A coronavirus strain first detected in India has been classed as a “variant of concern” by health officials.
Figures show cases of the double mutant Indian variant of the Coronavirus known as B.1.617.2, have increased to 520 from 202 over the past week, and almost half of these cases are related to travel or contact with a traveller. The cases are spread across the country, with the majority in the northwest — mainly in Bolton — and London, Public Health England (PHE) said.
The coronavirus strains originally found in Kent, South Africa and Brazil have been designated “variants of concern” in the UK. Scientists believe the Indian variant is more transmissible than the strain of Covid first discovered in Wuhan, China. The Prime Minister has said the government needs to carefully handle outbreaks of the India variant of coronavirus in the UK.
PHE said extra surge testing was now being put in place in affected areas along with more targeted contact tracing to try and stop the spread of the variant.
All individuals living in specific postcodes will be asked to get a PCR test, even if they don't have symptoms. Figures from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, which analyses positive swabs for different variants, also showed clusters of B.1.617.2 in places including Leicester, Bolton, Nottingham and Blackburn in the week to 24 April. It comes as seven confirmed cases of the same variant have been detected in Northern Ireland - the first discovered in the region.
