A new case of the ‘pirola’ coronavirus has been detected in the UK after traces of the variant were detected in wastewater.
The new coronavirus strain, also known as Covid BA.2.86, was first detected in the UK in London last month and was put on the watch list by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) for the first time. Ta.
The latest cases were detected in England, taking the total number of cases in the UK to three, according to the latest UKHSA data up to August 31.
The variant has so far been detected in eight countries, with 10 cases in Denmark, four in Sweden, four in the United States, two in Portugal, two in South Africa, and one each in Canada and Israel. ing.
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Maria van Kerkhove, an epidemiologist and head of the WHO’s coronavirus response, said there was very limited information available about the newly discovered strain. However, symptoms are thought to include a runny nose, headache, fatigue, sneezing, and sore throat.
UKHSA said it does not appear that the UK cases were infected with the virus abroad. Each infection was identified through hospital testing, and patients had “no known recent travel history based on routinely collected data.”
The first person in the UK reported feeling “mildly unwell”, but the second person had no respiratory symptoms, it said. The third case was in Scotland and was described as “symptomatic”.
The agency added that the variant has also been detected in sewage in several countries, meaning it is being shed by people who carry the virus, without specifying where.
The strain, also known as BA.X, was discovered through genetic sequencing, a process in which scientists determine the DNA components of a molecule.
This comes as British scientists warn that the UK has “let down its guard” when it comes to coronavirus infections and has “no idea what’s going on”, with children returning to school after the summer holidays and adults working in offices. This comes in response to concerns expressed about returning to the country.
Professor Lawrence Young, from the University of Warwick, said: “There is a common misconception that we no longer need to worry about coronavirus.”
“One way to control transmission is to have at least some understanding of where a particular outbreak is occurring, so that precautions can be put in place to prevent further spread of the virus, but We need to know where they are,” Professor Young added.
“This new [variant] It’s happening all over the place at the moment, but we’re not monitoring it in the population. ”
Office for National Statistics (ONS) surveillance of the virus was scaled back in March, but the number of infections soared by nearly 200,000 last month, rising to around 785,000 on July 27, according to the Zoe Health Survey. .
The number of coronavirus-related hospitalizations is now at its highest level in three months.