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- A new variant of the coronavirus which developed in the U.K. has been detected in travellers returning home to Australia
- The strain could be much more contagious than the original, although its lethality and reaction to vaccines is still unknown
- NSW’s Chief Health Officer has stated that the new mutation is not present in the recent Northern Beaches outbreak
- The new COVID-19 variant has also been detected in European nations including Denmark and Holland
- Numerous countries are now closing their borders to the U.K., in fear of its growing COVID-19 cases and mutated strain
A new variant of the coronavirus which developed in the U.K. has been detected in travellers returning home to Australia.
The new strain of COVID-19 recently made headlines, after quickly spreading throughout much of south-east England. In London, a massive outbreak has sent the city into lockdown, with a new tier of restrictions implemented just before Christmas.
The strain is highly contagious, with U.K. officials saying that it could be up to 70 per cent more transmissible than the original coronavirus. However, the variant’s lethality and reaction to recently approved vaccines is still unknown.
When asked about the new strain, New South Wales’ Chief Health Officer, Dr Kerry Chant, stated that two returning travellers from the UK tested positive for the mutated variant of COVID-19.
“We’ve had a couple of U.K. returned travellers with the particular mutations you’re referring to,” she said.
“Can I be very clear that the Avalon cluster strain does not have those mutations,” she added.
The Avalon cluster, also known as the Northern Beaches cluster, is an outbreak of COVID-19 which recently emerged in Sydney, New South Wales. The sudden rise in cases there could potentially send the city into lockdown, depending on Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s decision.
While it is a relief that the U.K. COVID-19 mutation is not present in the Sydney outbreak, Premier Berejiklian said that the strain in the Northern Beaches is similar to that found in a traveller who returned home from the United States.
In addition to Australia, the new COVID-19 variant has also been detected in European nations, including Denmark and Holland. Over a dozen countries are now closing their borders to travellers from the U.K., in fear of its growing COVID-19 cases and mutated strain.
In the COVID-ravaged U.S., New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has asked various airlines to test passengers for the variant, before they board flights to John F. Kennedy International Airport. British Airways has already agreed to this request, with answers yet to come back from Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic.
