Doctors have warned the new strain is highly transmissable (Image: PA)
The Imperial College virologist said both Brazilian variants - one of which was detected by travellers in Japan and the other which is more prevalent in Brazil - had mutations that suggest they might impact the way that some people s antibodies can see the virus .
She said: It is really important that we carry out this work now, and carry it out carefully, and in several different laboratories, to really firm up those results because they have big implications.
The appearance of the Brazilian coronavirus strain comes as travellers from across South America were banned from entering the UK.