“New faster spreading variant of COVID”

The New Scientist says -
"A new variant of the coronavirus that may be associated with faster spread has been identified in southeast England, UK health minister Matt Hancock said today. However, researchers have responded sceptically to the claim. Eric Topol at The Scripps Research Institute said, “This is going to require rigorous assessment before it can be confirmed. New variant sure, functionally significant unlikely. Suspect it will be refuted or seriously questioned.”

Speaking in parliament, Matt Hancock said, “Initial analysis suggests that this variant is growing faster than the existing variant,” he said. Over 1000 cases involving this variant have been identified in the UK, he said, suggesting the true number is much higher as identifying the virus requires sequencing, which is not normally done. However, Hancock also said similar variants have been identified in other countries over the last few months and there was nothing to suggest that this variant is more likely to cause serious disease or evade vaccine protection. Health authorities are still analysing the data.

Read more: www.newscientist.com/article/2237475-covid-19-news-scepticism-over-uk-claims-of-a-faster-spreading-variant/#ixzz6gdQusHI7

Elegran thank you ‘may be’ being pertinent. Apparently there have been a number of variants since the original L in Wuhan and it is not unknown in Covid. I’m no good at links, apologies, but a positive I took from the article I read was that some variants weaken viruses, got to look on the bright side ?

I agree , we seem to be getting nowhere fast , keep getting bad news and this incompetent government can’t do anything except give all our taxes to their friends . I feel that our children and grandchildren are being conned out of a life before they have started .

I live in an area in the SE and people have been really sensible where I live wrt masks etc

There was a mutant came over from Spain again the virus mutated from the Danish mink farms I think it’s mutating all the time hopefully it ll mutate itself out soon

Where I live you rarely see anyone without a mask

Bluebell, wish I could say the same. I have been to doctors twice for warfarin checks and each time a member of non medical staff came within 2 feet of me without masks.?Never mind the other patients who don’t need them either.

You can trace where a particular outbreak has originated from by checking out which strain of the virus it is. Can’t remember the term for it. So, as has been mentioned, the virus mutates a lot. I may be being cynical but I wondered if Hancock has brought this up as a reason to put London into tier 3 or backtrack on the governments permission to meet up with people at Christmas.

It was suggested in the beginning that it could mutate as many of the SARS viruses already have , this makes me a bit cynical about the vaccine.

It only mutates slightly and vaccines can be modified.

If people's symptoms of the virus are changing (which I believe they are) does this mean that the virus is mutating?
(I know very little about this type of thing, so please forgive my ignorance!)

MayBee70

You can trace where a particular outbreak has originated from by checking out which strain of the virus it is. Can’t remember the term for it. So, as has been mentioned, the virus mutates a lot. I may be being cynical but I wondered if Hancock has brought this up as a reason to put London into tier 3 or backtrack on the governments permission to meet up with people at Christmas.

I thought the same.

This government is disgusting.

The virus is doubling every five days in parts of Essex and faster in some London Boroughs.

Viruses usually do mutate.

The Government has acted quickly, 24 hours notice as opposed to the usual 48-72 hours. If the infection rates continue to rise I hope the Government does reassess the Christmas rules. Better to be disappointed than dead!!!

As far as I can see, this variant is the same as before, except faster to spread. There is no report that it leads to worse attacks, or new symptoms. If hearing about it makes people more careful about being in contact with others, that is a good thing - many have become blase about the basic procedures.

The main effect will be on the numbers swamping the medical and care services. Those will be under pressure by the end of January anyway, as trhe results of all those Christmas get-togethers and hugs become evident. More vigilance is needed - starting now and continuing over the festive season!

Well it`s clearly going to get worse before it gets better.
Especially with the covid idiots who are not social distancing OR wearing face coverings.
It really does begger belief.

Elegran my comment about symptoms being different now to those in March is purely anecdotal and related to my own experience.
I have read a lot and 'spoken' to many people who have been diagnosed recently.
The main and first symptom is a very bad migraine type headache in many cases (including my DH).
Back ache also features.
A 'new and persistent cough' is not so common at all.

I also agree some what with MayBee's assessment of the situation.

Bluebellwould You are not alone if I could I would join you
Never known such a mess up ,

check this out and scroll down to your postcode and see what it says as to infections in your area
coronavirus.data.gov.uk/?_ga=2.54189672.1319367156.1607711667-2144111740.1576836334
Mick

In a recent blog I heard that 80% of people with COVID had a migraine, and this is going back a long time. The report said if you had a virus but didn’t have a migraine it probably wasn’t COVID. A bad tummy is another symptom that wasn’t mentioned initially. Look how long it took for loss of taste and smell to be a recognised symptom. And yet Dr John had been talking about these symptoms since March (possibly earlier). Ditto asymptomatic carriers. The latest thing the government is telling us is the importance of ventilation. This was one of the first things that countries such as Taiwan did. They turned off central heating/air con systems and opened doors and windows. Going back to migraines, I can remember someone on another forum having a brother that was having to drive miles and miles with a crippling headache to get a COVID test which seemed downright dangerous to me.

MayBee70 - I'm going to be cynical as well, on this latest news about the variant.
So, coincidental that it's happening alongside London going into Tier 3, the vaccine being rolled out (causing people to think prematurely about light at the end of the tunnel) ......so, bringing a mutant virus on board will hopefully keep the majority of the population focused on masks, distancing etc.
Although so many families will get together as usual, have a drink or 6 and throw caution to the wind!

Thanks for the link Mick, it's very useful.

At the moment it’s not known for certain exactly what this variant does and scientists are working on it. Yes viruses do mutate and sometimes weaken but not always. If this variant has changed its spike then the vaccine may not be so effective. It is a big concern but hopefully will be unfounded.

There are two questions to be answered here -
How do they know that there is a variety of the virus that spreads faster? Presumable by noting that in some places the virus is spreading faster - they don't waste time and money testing the DNA of every single case. Could be a circular deduction - it happens, therefore it happens.

Which leads to -
What else could be making the virus spread faster in some places? People living more closely together, colder weather keeping them inside away from fresh air, population genetics concentrating people who are more likely to catch it into some areas, schools and colleges reopening, lockdown fatigue causing less enthusiasm for precautions, Christmas shopping, - plus other things that haven't yet occurred to me but could be having an effect.`

This virus has always been highly contagious. Thankfully it’s highly contagious but doesn’t have a high death rate* and doesn’t affect young people and children.*by saying that I must stress that I’m not meaning to be insensitive towards those that have died/have lost loved ones: an death is one death too many. If only the WHO hadn’t’ve downplayed how airborne it is: I’m sure that the main reason that people poo poo mask wearing etc is that this opinion is now embedded in people’s minds even though it was disproved. Or, to use use the new pandemic in word ‘baked in’.