UK officials confirm two cases of second ‘more transmissible’ COVID-19 strain

Two cases of a new variant of COVID-19 tied to South Africa have been confirmed in the United Kingdom, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced Wednesday.

“This new variant is highly concerning because it is yet more transmissible and it appears to have mutated further than the new variant that has been discovered in the UK,” Hancock said in a press conference, according to CNN. “Both are contacts of cases who have traveled from South Africa over the past few weeks.”

British outlet Sky News reported the U.K. has responded by implementing immediate travel restrictions, with incoming flights from South Africa halted completely.

Additionally, those who have been in contact with people arriving from South Africa within the past 15 days must now quarantine.

“These measures are temporary while we investigate further this new strain,” Hancock added at Wednesday’s news briefing.

The South African strain, known as 501.V2, is believed to be behind the recent record number of coronavirus hospitalizations in that country.

“It is still very early but at this stage, the preliminary data suggests the virus that is now dominating in the second wave is spreading faster than the first wave,” Salim Abdool Karim, chairman of South Africa’s Ministerial Advisory Committee, said in a press briefing this week, according to The Associated Press.

Susan Hopkins from Public Health England told Sky News that the new variant recently discovered in the U.K., and the one found in South Africa, are “very different” and are “different mutations.”

“Both of them look like they’re more transmissible,” she added.

This comes as the U.K. reported its highest number of single-day COVID-19 cases Wednesday and the country imposes sweeping restrictions on activities and businesses.

Statistics released by the British government showed nearly 40,000 cases were tallied Wednesday, and 744 new deaths were recorded within 28 days of a positive test, the highest fatality total since the end of April.

There have been more than 236,000 positive cases in the past seven days, a 61 percent increase from the previous seven-day period.

Several countries have imposed restrictions on travel to and from the U.K. as a result of the new strain, including France, Canada, Ireland, Poland and Turkey.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that the new U.K. strain could already be circulating in the United States, although it has not yet officially been detected.

The federal agency added that its scientists were working to better understand how the new strand emerged, as well as the level to which it is able to be easily transmitted.