The government Public Health England (PHE) said yesterday that the United Kingdom has detected six cases of the Brazilian type of Coronavirus P.1, which may spread faster and may not respond to existing vaccines. These are the first cases of this alternative in the UK.
a. Graham Medley, a member of the Emergency Scientific Advisory Group (SAGE), admitted today on BBC Radio 4 today that this is a strain that should not be underestimated. The scientist warned that “this is a very disturbing variable that we will have to deal with in the next six months.”
“While the coronavirus restrictions are easing, various challenges will appear on our way. There is always a risk that at some point we will have to go back and take back certain restrictions. And you know that no one wants to open the economy, and in an instant – shut it down again,” he noted.
Medley noted that it is extremely important to monitor the risks that new variables may pose. He also warned that the danger could be “regional differences in the occurrence of new viral strains.”
According to The Independent, the scientist is questioning the strategy adopted by Boris Johnson to ease the blocking measures in England. Last week, the prime minister proposed easing restrictions nationwide – rather than a return to a multi-tiered regional order.
A government advisor said: “We are already dealing with a situation in which different types of virus are spread unevenly in different parts of the country. As the economy begins to open, these regional differences will deepen.”
A member of the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies concluded, “Therefore, conquering England at the same time would be a huge challenge.”
The Independent / Agata C.