Scientists know about the corona virus variant that is spreading in the UK

LONDON – Many European countries have banned flights from the UK for fear of new ones Corona virus Forced variation Millions of people in the UK to cancel Christmas plans.

Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Italy all announced restrictions on travel to the UK. Others will follow suit as scientists warn that the new strain will spread faster than its predecessors.

The UK’s Prime Minister has said the UK’s epidemic is on the rise Boris Johnson He told a news conference on Saturday that London and the southeastern part of the UK would be placed under strict lockout rules known as “Tier 4”.

As a result, essential shops, gyms, cinemas, hairdressers and bowling alleys will be forced to close for two weeks, while people will be barred from meeting another person in an outdoor public space from another home.

A “bubble” policy – allowing three homes to meet during the holidays in some parts of the country subject to Tier 4 restrictions – will be drastically reduced and only applicable on Christmas Day, Johnson said.

Viral mutation

In mid-September, UK health officials first identified a new variant called “VUI – 202012/01” by British scientists, led by Maria van Kerkow, Govt-19 technology World Health Organization, The BBC said Sunday.

Simon Clark, an associate professor of cellular microbiology at the University of Reading in the UK, told NBC News that mutations in viruses are “very common.”

“When they cause an infection, they enter our cells and make more copies to reproduce by taking over the cells, and each time a new genetic material is produced for each new virus,” he said. The new strain is said to be “definitely fitter” than its predecessors.

The UK’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Witty, warned in a statement on Saturday that it was expected to spread rapidly.

But he said there was no evidence so far that the new strain was more powerful in terms of serious illness or death.

Vaccine efficacy

“Our assumption from all scientists is that the vaccine response to this virus should be adequate,” Sir Patrick Valens, chief scientific adviser to the UK government, told a news conference on Saturday.

But Ravindra Gupta, a professor of medical microbiology at the University of Cambridge, said he was concerned about being on the path to resisting viral vaccines.

“When it’s not really resisted, it’s not going to take many changes after it gets there,” he told NBC News.

However, Clark said different versions of the flu vaccine are needed each year, and he did not see why this could not be the same for the corona virus.

Preventing the spread

Van Kerkov said the new variant has so far been identified in Denmark, the Netherlands and Australia.

“The virus has been spreading for a long time, and the chances are high that it will change, so we must do everything we can now to prevent it from spreading. Reducing that spread will reduce the chances of that changing, ”he said.

He added that further sorting would help determine if this variant is in circulation elsewhere.

Gupta said the new strain should be a cause for concern in the United States and other countries around the world. He warned that the virus would re-emerge, adding that “people need to step up their surveillance.”

In the UK, strict new lock controls are a “necessary measure” to control the virus, said Dr Julian Tang, a medical virologist at the University of Leicester. Report. But he warned that even a few hours on Christmas Day could be contagious.

Therefore, the authorities are urging those in the lower strata in the UK to maintain as much social distance as possible.

Political fall

While scientists have praised Johnson’s increased restrictions, his political rivals have blamed him.heart beat”To millions of families due to last minute restrictions.

Opposition Labor leader Sir Khair Stormer has called on Johnson to apologize to the public for the way the lock was handled.

“A prime minister at the center of the issue here simply does not want to be unpopular, so he will not make the necessary drastic decisions until he is forced to do so in the eleventh hour,” he told an online news conference.