'New Variant' of Coronavirus Identified in UK, Health Secretary Says

A "new variant" of coronavirus has been identified in the UK, which is believed to be causing the faster spread in the South East, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said. From a report: More than 1,000 cases of the new variant have been found, "predominantly in the south of England", Mr Hancock told the House of Commons this afternoon. It is spreading faster than the existing strain of coronavirus and believed to be fuelling the "very sharp, exponential rises" in cases across the South East, he said. So far it has been found in 60 local authority areas and is thought to be similar to the mutation discovered in other countries in recent months. It was first identified in Kent last week during routine surveillance by Public Health England (PHE), with ministers told about it on Friday. The health secretary said that there is currently no evidence that the new variant will not respond to the COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out across the country.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.