UK health officials are trying to track down a person infected with a Brazilian variant of COVID-19 – one of six cases found in the country in February, according to a report.
The person did not complete a registration form after using a home test kit, which led to an appeal to anyone without a test result on 12 or 13 February to come forward, the BBC reported.
The P1 variant was first detected in January among travelers to Japan from Manaus, in northern Brazil, according to the news agency.
There has been concern that vaccines may not be as effective against the Brazilian variant, but Professor Stephen Powis, of the United Kingdom’s National Health Service, said the jabs could be “quickly adapted”.
Dr Susan Hopkins of Public Health England said the UK is more advanced than many other countries in identifying variants and mutations, the BBC reported.
As of February 15, travelers arriving in England from 33 countries, including Brazil, must pay to stay in quarantine in a hotel for 10 days, while in Scotland the rule applies to international travelers from all countries.
Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi said it is not known whether the unidentified person being sought was recently abroad, so it is unclear whether the individual would have isolated himself during the infection.
“We need to find them as soon as possible,” Zahawi told the BBC Breakfast, adding that health officials were working with the postal service to try to locate the person.