‘More mutations of concern’ found in Bristol and Liverpool, says Matt Hancock
More Covid “mutations of concern” have been identified in Bristol and Liverpool, the health secretary has announced, as ministers scramble to contain new strains spreading around the country.
Speaking in the Commons, Matt Hancock said 11 cases of mutant strains were identified in Bristol and 32 in Liverpool.
The health secretary said ministers will roll out the same surge testing drive in eight postcodes where the South Africa variant has started spreading in the community.
He promised to “come down hard” on cases of the new variant, urging people in affected areas not to leave their houses unless absolutely necessary.
“It is imperative that people must stay at home and only leave home where it is absolutely essential. When your local authority offers you a test, you should take up the offer, because we know that around one in three people with coronavirus have no symptoms but can still pass it on,” Hancock told MPs.
The government will now offer Covid tests to all over-16s in areas with confirmed cases of the South Africa mutation, including those that have already been vaccinated, the health secretary announced.
Hancock said ministers were working with local authorities to roll out door-to-door testing and pop-up test sites to stamp out the strain.
Gene sequencing has so far found 105 cases of the variant across the UK, with 11 infections unlinked to foreign travel, prompting concerns the South African variant is now spreading in the community.
Around 80,000 people in areas around the country including Ealing, Havering, Guildford, Maidstone, Walsall, Preston, Mitcham, Woking and Broxbourne will be part of the surge testing plans.
It comes as scientists this morning warned that a coronavirus strain first identified in Kent has now mutated in a similar way to both the Brazilian and South African variants.
Calum Semple, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), told the BBC: “The mutation of most concern, which we call E484K, has also occurred spontaneously in the new Kent strain in parts of the country too.”
The mutation is understood to have been found in 11 samples of around 200,000 that have been sequenced so far.