The Bearer of Bad News

"Against this backdrop of rising infections, rising hospitalizations and rising numbers of people dying from coronavirus, it is  absolutely vital that we act."

"We simply cannot have the kind of Christmas that we all yearn for."

"This virus [a new mutation of COVID-19 appearing in South Africa] is highly concerning because it is yet more transmissible and appears to have mutated further than the new variant that's been discovered in the U.K." 

"Thanks to the impressive genomic capability of the South Africans, we’ve detected two cases of another new variant of coronavirus here in the UK."

"Both are contacts of cases who have travelled from South Africa over the past few weeks."

"This new variant [from South Africa] 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."

British Health Minister Matt Hancock

 

"[The new variant in the UK] is very different to the variant in South Africa, it’s got different mutations."

"Both of them look like they’re more transmissible. We have more evidence on the transmission for the UK variant because we’ve been studying that with great detail with academic partners. We’re still learning about the South African variant."

:[Vaccines that have already been developed should be effective] because the vaccine produces a strong immune response and it’s broad and acts against lots of variation in the virus."

Susan Hopkins from Public Health England

There is no current evidence to suggest that the new variant is affected any differently by vaccines  Reuters

The SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 appears incorrigibly immune to every human-inspired effort to bring it under control. The virus almost appears to taunt scientific efforts to better understand its viral properties, much less to invent new protocols that might have the effect of diminishing its predatory advances. All viruses mutate over time; it is why vaccines produced annually for the seasonal flu can only partially address all the altered elements of any season's flu virus; the vaccine producers wait until the last possible moment to assess as accurately as possible all of the most current flu viruses' qualities before finalizing their vaccine for distribution for that year.

Experts were aware of a number of SARS-CoV-2 mutations, tracking them and evaluating their effects. The two issues of greater infectability and more potentially serious effects of infection uppermost concerns. At least one of those concerns has now been realized in a new strain that has hugely accelerated infectiousness in the U.K. Authorities are trying to cope, just at a time when it was hoped that measures could be eased for the holiday season; instead areas of high infection have had to return to lockdown.

 

The UK has now been effectively placed in quarantine by the international community.’ The closed ferry terminal at Dover. Photograph: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP

 

Countries in Europe and North America and Asia have closed off flights and other modes of travel from Britain in light of the current situation; the nightmare of all countries already coping with desperate numbers of infections, hospitalizations and deaths is an exacerbation caused by another viral strain brought in from an outside source. Ironically, Britain, struggling to contain its own mutant strain, now realizes that an even more seriously infectious mutant strain has already infiltrated the country, one that originated in South Africa.

Leading to huge swaths of Britain being placed under strict COVID-19 restrictions responding to a highly infectious virus variant now sweeping the country, raising infection cases to record levels. Almost 40,000 new infections of the mutated variant of the coronavirus, estimated to be up to 70 percent more transmissible, has been responsible for case numbers and hospitalizations to soar. Deaths, numbering 744, also represents the highest figure since April.

London, southeast England and Wales are now seeing tight social mixing restrictions, reversing plans to ease curbs over Christmas across the nation. From December 26, additional parts of southern England are set to be among those added to the highest level of social mixing restrictions where 16 million already have been placed in Tier 4 restrictions. Those parts of the country locked into lower tiers are also slated to face tighter curbs.

 

Passengers wait in line at the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras International, amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in London [Hannah McKay/Reuters

 

Nearly everyone in Scotland and Northern Ireland has seen their governments announce entire populations to be subjected to the highest level of restrictions following Christmas. On average, according to the health minister, 1,909 COVID hospital admissions take place every day, with 18,943 people in hospital with the virus at the present time, levels rivalling the situation in April when the coronavirus took Europe by storm.

All this, and coincidentally the discovery by British scientists of another, more virulent variant having arrived leading Britain to place new restrictions on visitors from South Africa, calling on those who recently had been in the country or in contact with anyone recently arrived, to self-isolate immediately. The public being assured that all such measures are temporary until such time as officials are better able to understand the variant and what it portends.

Last week, officials in South Africa announced the detection of a  new variant by their scientists, appearing to be fuelling a rapid rise in infections in the country. Now, even as Britain is grappling with a steadily increasing outbreak linked to a variant originating in England, they must as well turn their attention to a South African variant. One, Minister Hancock announced, that might be more contagious even than the U.K. variant, both of which are "out of control" in the country.

People walk and cycle in London [Hannah McKay/Reuters]