UK Identifies New South African Coronavirus Strain, Tightens Restrictions

Today, a second new strain from Coronavirus had been detected in the United Kingdom. The strain had been found earlier in South Africa.

Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock announced the observation of two patients carry the African strain, and that they are being closely monitored.

The government is implementing travel restrictions on those entering the nation from South Africa, while the health secretary urged those who arrived from the country in the last fortnight to isolate themselves immediately for two weeks.

Hancock said that "These measures are temporary till we investigate the new strain further."

"Both cases detected in the UK, just came back from South Africa a few weeks ago."

Hancock added, "We gratefully thank the South African government and health authorities for their transparency after discovering this new strain, so countries can take precautionary measures for the safety of their people."

The Secretary explained that "This new variant is highly concerning because it is yet more transmissible and it appears to have mutated further than the new variant that has been discovered in the UK."

The African Strain follows the rapid spread of the variant found in the south-east of England, first detected by UK scientists, which made the government impose travel restrictions on the neighbouring countries promptly.

The UK’s variant is believed to have mutated randomly in Kent as early as September, while the South African variant is thought to be behind a surge in hospitalisations there, according to "Independent".

Dr Susan Hopkins of Public Health England said that "The system implemented by the government will help in containing the situation and the new strain found in South Africa."

She added, "The health authorities are running researches and clinical trials on the new variant to validate the effectiveness of the vaccine on it."