Mysterious research in the United Kingdom infected with the Covid variant of Brazil

UK health officials are eager to track down one of six individuals infected with a more contagious coronavirus variant, initially identified in Brazil.

Up to six cases of the new strain – dubbed P.1 and considered a “concern variant” by global health experts – have been detected in the United Kingdom, with three cases in Scotland and three in England.

However, what concerns the authorities is that one of the three cases found in England has not been traced. The government issued a statement on Sunday noting that two of the cases in England are of a family in South Gloucestershire with a history of travel to Brazil, and “there is a third case, currently disconnected”.

The cases in South Gloucestershire, in southeastern 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 São Paulo, via Zurich, to London’s Heathrow airport on February 10 – were also being tracked by authorities.

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

However, further investigation is underway with respect to a third case separate from the variant identified in England, with health officials calling for anyone who did not receive the result of a Covid test conducted on 12 or 13 February to present.

“The individual did not fill out his test registration card, so tracking details are not available,” noted the government.

“We are therefore asking anyone who took a test on 12 or 13 February and did not receive the result or has an incomplete test registration card to call 119 in England or 0300 303 2713 in Scotland for help as soon as possible.”

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock will have a meeting on Monday to update British lawmakers from around the world on the variant, the BBC reported.

Health officials are concerned that the variant first identified in Brazil is considered a more infectious strain of the coronavirus and may cause more serious infections. There are also concerns that this could make coronavirus vaccines less effective; however, this has not been confirmed, and investigations are currently being carried out to see if this is the case.

While scientists are conducting this research, vaccine manufacturers are developing booster shots for specific variants.

Britain has already fought the spread of a much more infectious variant that was responsible for a sudden increase in cases in the winter. Since then, the strain has become dominant in the country and has spread throughout the world.

The latest weekly report from the World Health Organization said 101 countries had already reported cases of the variant first identified in Britain.

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

The strain has been designated as “worrying” as it shares some crucial mutations with the variant first identified in South Africa. Variant P.1 has 17 mutations unique in all, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of United States, and was also first detected in the United States in late January.

When the first cases of this variant were detected in the United Kingdom, the rules required anyone traveling from abroad to isolate themselves at home for 10 days.

However, that changed on February 15, and travelers to the UK now need to be quarantined in hotels, on their own, for 10 days. In mid-January, the United Kingdom banned travelers from various countries in South America to enter the country, unless they had a right of residence.

The move was an attempt to prevent the spread of more infectious variants and potentially undermine the successful launch of the coronavirus vaccine in the country. On Sunday, the United Kingdom reached another milestone, having vaccinated 20 million people with the first dose of the Covid vaccine.

Dr. Susan Hopkins, PHE’s strategic response director for Covid-19 and NHS Test and Trace Medical Advisor, said that new cases in the UK have been identified thanks to the country’s advanced sequencing capabilities, “which means we are finding more variants and mutations than many other countries and are therefore able to act quickly. “

“The important thing to remember is that Covid-19, whatever the variant, is spread the same way. This means that the measures to prevent its spread do not change, ”she said, defending good personal hygiene and just leaving the house 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 unrelated to the three cases in England.

As required at the time, individuals isolated themselves after their return to Scotland and subsequently tested positive for coronavirus. The individuals then isolated themselves for the required 10 days, the Scottish government said in a statement.

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