Covid new variant: Prof Chris Whitty describes the areas to avoid new variant - locations

“It can be passed on in households when people meet people in their home, shops or any environment with an indoor setting.”

What do we know about the new variant?

All viruses undergo mutations, and through selection pressure can result in different variants.

The variant of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus causing COVID-19) originally termed lineage B.1.1.7, was detected in November 2020 and is rapidly spreading across England and other parts of the UK.

The new variant transmits more easily than the previous one but there is no evidence that it is more likely to cause severe disease or mortality.