The British government said on Wednesday (23rd) that two cases of infection with the new virus strain were found in the UK. This new virus strain from South Africa may be more infectious. The United Kingdom also announced that it will immediately prohibit entry from South Africa.
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that the two cases of infection with the new virus strains have contacted people who have returned from South Africa in the past few weeks, calling on all people who have recently visited South Africa or who have been in contact with South Africa to immediately isolate themselves.
Hancock said: “This new virus strain is quite worrying because it is more infectious and it seems to have further mutated from a variant virus that has been found in the UK.”
Britain announced that it will immediately restrict entry from South Africa, and Germany, Switzerland, Israel, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia have stopped flights to and from South Africa.
This potentially more infectious new strain of the virus first appeared in South Africa. South African officials said a few days ago that the new virus strain may be related to the recent surge in confirmed cases in the country and may cause more young people to become severely ill.
The UK has recently announced the discovery of a mutant virus, which may increase its infectivity by 70%. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the virus may have spread throughout England as early as November, and is the culprit in 60% of the newly confirmed cases in London.
CDC said that the British mutant virus may have been found in the United States, and scientists are studying its infectivity. Dr. Anthony Fauci, an authority on infectious diseases in the United States, also warned that the American public should assume that the British mutant virus strain “already exists in the United States.”
Medical experts remind the public to increase their awareness of the epidemic, and also emphasize that new virus strains need further research. It does not seem to have become more deadly at present, and vaccines that have already come out are also protective against new virus strains.
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