LONDON (Reuters) – Up to six cases of a highly transmissible variant of the coronavirus first identified in the Brazilian city of Manaus have been detected in Britain for the first time, British health officials said on Sunday.
Three cases were found in England and another three in Scotland.
Two of the three cases found in England were from a family in the South Gloucestershire area who had a history of travel to Brazil. A third case, currently not linked, has yet to be identified, Public Health England said.
The risk to the general community of Gloucestershire cases was deemed low, but as a precaution, employees were acting quickly to implement tests and increase the sequencing of positive coronavirus samples from the area, said the PHE.
Scottish cases were not linked to those in England.
The P.1 variant detected in Manaus shares some mutations with a variant first identified in South Africa and is likely to respond less well to current vaccines, said the PHE.
Susan Hopkins, PHE’s director of strategic response for COVID-19, said Britain’s advanced gene sequencing capabilities meant it was finding more variants and mutations than many other countries.
At the end of last year, Britain detected a more transmissible variant of the coronavirus that is believed to have originated near London and which has led to a sharp increase in cases in the country and beyond.
“The important thing to remember is that COVID-19, no matter what the variant, is spread the same way. This means that measures to prevent the spread do not change, ”said Hopkins.
PHE and the test and tracking officer system were accompanying all passengers on Swiss Air LX318 flight from São Paulo to London via Zurich, which landed at London Heathrow on February 10, to test them and their families.
All three Scottish cases were identified in people who returned to the country via Paris and London who were isolated for the necessary period of 10 days.
“Due to the potential concerns surrounding this variant, other passengers on the flight used by three individuals from London to Aberdeen are being contacted,” said the Scottish government.
Written by William Schomberg; Editing by Jane Merriman and Frances Kerry