A new mutation of COVID-19 could be the reason the UK is seeing a more rapid spread of the virus.
More than 1,000 patients have been infected with the new coronavirus strain and the nation’s health secretary, Matt Hancock, says it could be the reason behind the country’s sharp rises in cases. The new variant, named “VUI – 202012/01,” includes a genetic mutation in the “spike” protein, which could result in the virus being more infectious.
World Health Organization Chief of Emergencies, Dr. Michael Ryan, said that mutations such as this one are quite common and there has been no confirmation as of yet that the variant is more deadly or spreads more easily. Hancock doesn’t anticipate the mutation to have an impact on the vaccine.
