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
