Government sources say up to three households can still mix over Christmas, despite spike in Covid-19 cases
But people will be warned to think twice before meeting elderly or vulnerable family members for Christmas
Families will also be warned to stay local amid fears of traffic chaos on roads and trains packed with people
It comes as Nicola Sturgeon considers different rules for Scotland at Christmas, putting UK-wide rules at risk
Leicester University virologist Julian Tang told Reuters he believes the new strain would still be vulnerable to the vaccines developed to combat the pandemic. The average member of the public on the street shouldn t worry too much about this. I don t think it s a major issue, he said. I think it s interesting from a virologist point of view looking at how the mutation changes over time, but it doesn t really affect clinical severity, it almost certainly doesn t affect the vaccine response and protection.
WATCH | British Virologist explains why there is no need to worry about new coronavirus variant:
No need to worry about new coronavirus strain, says virologist
AYLIN WOODWARD, BUSINESS INSIDER
15 DECEMBER 2020
A new coronavirus strain may be fuelling an uptick in spread across the southern UK, according to Health Secretary Matt Hancock. Over the last few days, thanks to our world-class genomic capability in the UK, we have identified a new variant of coronavirus, which may be associated with the faster spread in the South of England, Hancock said Monday, speaking in the House of Commons.
He pointed to very sharp exponential rises in the virus across London, Kent, parts of Essex, and Hertfordshire.
Hancock added that there s no evidence to suggest this new strain is more deadly or resistant to vaccines. But it could be more transmissible, he said: Initial analysis suggests this variant is growing faster than the existing variants.
New Variant of SARS-CoV-2: FAQs medscape.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from medscape.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Coronavirus mutation: What the experts are saying about the new Covid-19 variant
The Welsh Government said there are at least 10 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus variant in Wales
11:06, 15 DEC 2020
Updated
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A new variant of the coronavirus that has been linked to a rapid increase in cases has been detected in parts of the UK, including Wales.