UK secret search for person infected with Brazil Covid variant

British health officials are keen to detect one in six individuals infected with a more contagious variant of the coronavirus, initially identified in Brazil.

Up to six cases of the new strain – called P.1 and considered a ‘worrying variant’ by global health experts – have been detected in the UK, with three cases in Scotland and three in England.

What worries officials, however, is that one of the three cases found in England has not been traced. The government issued a statement on Sunday pointing out that two of the cases in England came from one household in South Gloucestershire with a history of travel to Brazil, and that there was a third, currently unrelated case. ‘

The cases in South Gloucestershire, in the south-east of England, were quickly followed up by a team from Public Health England, and their contacts were identified and retested, the government said. All passengers on the same flight – Swiss Air flight LX318 from Sao Paulo via Zurich, to London Heathrow on 10 February – are also being tracked by officials.

As a precaution, the health officials are increasing the testing of asymptomatic cases in the South Gloucestershire area and increasing the order of positive samples from the area.

However, further investigation is underway into a separate, third case of the variant identified in England, with health officials appealing to anyone who did not get a result of a Covid test performed on 12 or 13 February is, received to emerge.

“The individual has not completed their test registration card, so follow-up details are not available,” the government noted.

“We therefore ask that anyone who undertook a test on 12 or 13 February and did not receive their result or have an incomplete test registration card, call 119 in England or 0300 303 2713 in Scotland for assistance as soon as possible.”

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock will hold a meeting later on Monday to keep British lawmakers of all parties informed of the variant, reports the BBC.

Health officials are concerned because the variant first identified in Brazil is believed to be a more contagious strain of the coronavirus and could cause worse infections. There are also concerns that coronavirus vaccines may be less effective, but this is not confirmed, and it is currently being investigated whether this is the case.

While scientists are doing this research, vaccine manufacturers are developing booster shots to target variants.

Britain has already spoken out with the spread of a much more contagious variant that was responsible for an increase in cases in winter. The tension has since become dominant in the country and has spread worldwide.

According to the latest weekly report from the World Health Organization, 101 countries have now reported cases of the variant first identified in Britain.

Regarding the tensions found in Brazil, said 29 countries have reported cases so far. This P.1 variant was first identified in January by four travelers from Brazil to Japan during routine investigations at Haneda Airport outside Tokyo.

The strain was called ‘worrying’ because it shares some important mutations with the variant that was first identified in South Africa. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the P.1 variant has a total of 17 unique mutations and was also detected in the US for the first time at the end of January.

When the first cases of this variant were detected in the UK, the rules required that anyone traveling from abroad be isolated for ten days at home.

However, that changed on 15 February, and now travelers to the UK have to quarantine in hotels for ten days at their own expense. In mid-January, the United Kingdom banned travelers from a variety of South American countries from entering the country unless they had a right of residence.

The move was an attempt to prevent more contagious variants from spreading and potentially undermining the spread of the country’s hitherto successful coronavirus vaccine. On Sunday, the UK reached another milestone, after vaccinating 20 million people with a first dose of Covid vaccine.

Dr Susan Hopkins, PHE’s Director of Strategic Response for Covid-19 and the NHS Test and Trace Medical Advisor, said the new cases have been identified in the UK thanks to the country’s advanced sequencing, which means we’re more find variants and mutations than many other countries and can therefore act quickly. ‘

“The most important thing to remember is that Covid-19, whatever the variant, spreads in the same way. This means that the measures to stop its spread do not change,” she said, advocating good personal hygiene and leaving the house only. for essential reasons.

The three cases identified in Scotland were found in individuals who returned from Brazil to Aberdeen via Paris and London. These cases are not related to the three cases in England.

As required at the time, the individuals entered self-isolation after their return to Scotland and subsequently tested positive for coronavirus. The individuals then isolated themselves for the required period of ten days, the Scottish Government said in a statement.

Due to the possible concerns surrounding this variant, other passengers on the flight from London to Aberdeen were contacted, the Scottish Government noted.