On December 20, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a sensational statement that a new type of coronavirus has been discovered in the country, which can be 70% more contagious than the previous one. However, to date, there is no evidence that this new strain can provoke a more severe course of the disease or determine a higher mortality rate.
According to the report of the chief scientific adviser to the British government, Patrick Vallance, viruses are constantly mutating, the number of mutations in the identified new strain is unusually large – as many as 23 species. Scientists have also identified changes in those parts of the virus that are responsible for its penetration into cells. The superpower of this new species is that it is able to spread much faster than the previous SARS-CoV-2, and is already the predominant strain in the UK. In London, for example, it accounts for more than 60% of new cases. According to the UK's minister of health, Matt Hancock, because of this new genetic variant of the coronavirus, the rate of spread of the disease in some English regions has increased dramatically. By the beginning of last week in the UK, more than 1,000 cases of infection with a new type of virus were detected in London, Essex, and other areas.
It is noteworthy that conventional tests for COVID-19 do not show what specific type of coronavirus a person is sick with. Variations of COVID-19 can only be detected by reading all 30,000 letters of the genetic code in each SARS-CoV-2 sample using specialized equipment.
In this regard, strict restrictive measures have been introduced in London: bars and restaurants operate exclusively for takeouts, non-food stores, as well as gyms and hairdressers are closed. All residents of the UK undertake to stay at home. Residents of London, as well as several regions of South-East England, are prohibited from meeting other families at Christmas. It is allowed to see only one stranger, but always in the fresh air.
According to the statement of the UK Public Health Service, this new strain of coronavirus appeared in the country in September, but it has been actively spreading since mid-November. This new genetic type of virus is also found in South Africa, Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy, and Australia.
The main question that concerns the population and the government is: will existing vaccines protect against this new virus as effectively as against the "usual" SARS-CoV-2? The Director of the Gamaleya Center, Alexander Ginzburg, assures that the existing vaccines, including the Russian drug Sputnik V, are quite effective in combating this new strain.
After the introduction of strict restrictions by the authorities of the country, many residents of London decided to leave the metropolis. A huge number of people have gathered at the railway stations in the capital. Many countries have already suspended air travel with the UK: the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Austria, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Saudi Arabia has temporarily closed its borders on the background of this news.