A new variant of the coronavirus has been found in the United Kingdom.
“We have identified a new variant of coronavirus, which may be associated with the fastest spread in the Southeast of England,” Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Parliament Monday. “Initial analysis suggests that this variant is growing faster than the existing variant.”
The U.K. has identified more than 1,000 cases of the variant strain in 60 different local health authorities.
However, Hancock said there was no reason to think that the variant strain would cause more severe cases of COVID-19 or that it would be resistant to vaccines.
On the same day, Hancock imposed new restrictions on London and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire in response to a sharp rise in cases there.
In early November, Denmark identified a mutant strain of coronavirus in minks that officials initially worried might be resistant to vaccines. This caused the Danish government to cull millions of minks as a precautionary measure.
Scientists later reviewed data on the mutant strain and said that it was not associated with faster spread or higher morbidity or mortality.
