MUTANT THREAT
New Covid strain found in Bristol is branded ‘variant of concern’ by health officials
THE UK now has two new Covid variants after health officials re-classified the recently discovered bugs.
The Bristol and Liverpool strains emerged last week and cases in both cities, as well as a cluster in Manchester, are being closely monitored by Public Health England.
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This evening the Government's emergency virus group Nervtag, officially named the Bristol variant - with 14 cases there and four in Manchester - a "variant of concern".
This variant has developed directly from the Kent strain and now includes a mutation called E484K, which allows the virus to evade vaccines more easily.
NERVTAG also branded a variant which caused 55 cases in Liverpool a "variant under investigation".
This variant is a version of the original Covid virus, which has the E484K mutation that lets it escape vaccines more easily.
In total Public Health England has identified 76 cases of these two new variants.
The new variants sparked concern last week when mass doorstep testing was rolled out in Bristol and Liverpool.
Mass 'surge' testing is also underway in ten other parts of the UK, where the home-grown cases of the South African strain are feared to have spread.
PHE has tonight announced three more postcodes in Lambeth, south London, where extra testing will be carried out after cases of the South African variant were identified.
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Meanwhile, last night, 10,000 people living in parts of Manchester were urged to get tested as soon as possible - after cases of the E484K mutation were found in two unconnected households.
The mutation present in the Bristol strain is already found in both South African and Brazilian coronavirus variants.
The Kent strain (B.1.1.7) - that first appeared in the UK at the end of last year - does not feature the E484K mutation, which makes vaccines less effective.
Officials last week identified the first 11 cases of the South African variant with no links to travel after carrying out gene testing on positive Covid tests.
They say that the E484K mutation has occurred spontaneously in only a handful of cases of the UK variant.
Experts have expressed concern over the combination of the Kent strain with the mutation.
That's because he UK variant has been found to be more contagious than the original strain and is behind the surge in cases in recent months.
Dr Susan Hopkins, from PHE, told a press briefing today: "I think it's important to note that the E484K mutation in particular has been emerging and disappearing over time, in multiple lineages and multiple variants, since April last year.
"But clearly with it on top of what we know about the transmissibility of B117, the dominant variant in the UK, we're monitoring it with particular concern."
Last week, officials said a cluster of 32 cases involving the E484K mutation had also been identified in Liverpool.
They were picked up as part of gene testing on cases among staff at Liverpool Women's Hospital last month.
A cluster of an initial five cases were detected on January 10 among some staff who had attended an event, believed to be a funeral.
A further 60 probable cases are reported to have been identified.
However, in this case, officials said it is a mutation on the original virus, which first sparked the pandemic, and is not as transmissible as the Kent strain.
For this reason it's been given a lower priority Nervtag classification of “variant under investigation”.
Public health officials are still concerned about the cluster as it's already wider spread than those in the South West.
They urged anyone with symptoms such as a runny nose and headache to get tested.
Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, director of public health and wellbeing at Lancashire County Council, said: "If you live in Preston or West Lancashire and you're feeling under the weather, please get a Covid test.
"It doesn't matter if you don't have the three classic symptoms of a fever, loss of taste or smell, or a cough - even a headache could be an indication you may have this mutation.
"Understandably, some residents may be concerned but all viruses mutate over time so this should not cause any further alarm.
"Alongside our partners, please rest assured that we are monitoring the situation closely.
"It is important to stress that there is currently no evidence that this mutation alone causes more severe illness or is more transmissible.
"The best way to control the spread is for everyone to continue to abide by the lockdown rules and following the simple steps of washing your hands, using a face covering and making space from each other.
"While Covid has been here for a while now, these new variants remind us that we all need to keep doing what we can to stay safe and avoid spreading Covid to each other."
DOORSTEP TESTING
It comes as door-to-door testing was rolled out in eight postcodes after 11 cases of the South African variant were detected with no links to travel.
Anyone living in the W7, N17, CR4, WS2, ME15, EN10, GU21 or PR9 postcodes, as well as Bristol and Liverpool, has been asked to get a test.
If they have symptoms - they can book online at their nearest facility.
If they don't, they should check their local council website for more information on whether there's an asymptomatic centre.
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Mobile testing units will be deployed and testing kits posted through people's doors too, to try and clamp down on every single case.
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Some of the new cases hadn't travelled recently either - meaning there is now community transmission of the virus.
The mutation, which emerged from South Africa, and is named 501YV2, but there is no evidence that it causes more severe disease.
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