Britain is investigating COVID-19 variant while it began with India
19 April, 2021
British health officials are investigating a COVID-19 variant originating in India but up to now they do not have sufficient evidence to classify it really is as a variant of concern, Susan Hopkins of Public Health England (PHE) said on Sunday (Apr 18).
Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show on BBC television, Hopkins said: "We have not got enough data relating to this variant yet in order to clarify be it a variant of concern. We have put it as a variant under investigation."
"To escalate it up the ranking we must know that it's increased transmissibility, increased severity, or vaccine-evading, and we just don't possess that yet, but we're looking at the info every day."
PHE has said it has recognized 77 cases of the variant in Britain.
Earlier, environment minister George Eustice said Prime Minister Boris Johnson's trip to India later this month should go ahead despite rising cases in the united states.
"It's important that business and the business enterprise of politics if you like does continue," he said, adding an expert committee periodically reviews decisions about whether to permit travel to certain countries.
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