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55 new cases of "double mutation" variant found in UK in latest week

Europe Materials 22 April 2021 23:52 (UTC +04:00)
55 new cases of "double mutation" variant found in UK in latest week

A further 55 cases of the coronavirus "double mutation" variant first detected in India have been discovered in Britain in the week to April 21, Public Health England (PHE) said Thursday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

The new development takes the total number of B.1.617 infections to 132, Sky News reported, citing the latest PHE figures.

The new PHE figures came just hours before India is added to Britain's travel "red list" on Friday, which means arrivals will have to quarantine in government-approved hotels for 10 days.

Under the new rules, travel from India to Britain is being banned for non-British and Irish citizens from 4:00 a.m. BST (0300 GMT) on Friday.

It is understood that the coronavirus variant B.1.617, which has a "double mutation", may be more infectious and the current vaccines may be less effective against it.

The double mutated virus, B.1.617, is becoming the most prevalent among all the mutant COVID-19 variants in India, Indian media reports said.

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