One of two Brazilian coronavirus variants was detected in the UK ahead of ministers banning the arrival of travellers from South America to limit the spread of a concerning new strain, a leading virologist has said.
15 January 2021
Imperial researchers will lead a new consortium of UK virologists to study the effects of emerging mutations in SARS-CoV-2.
The ‘G2P-UK’ National Virology Consortium will study how mutations in the pandemic virus affect how transmissible it is, the severity of COVID-19 it causes, and the effectiveness of vaccines and treatments.
The virus is constantly throwing up new variants and we need to gear up to assess the risk they pose. Prof. Wendy Barclay Department of Infectious Disease
Professor Wendy Barclay, head of the Department of Infectious Disease, will lead the UK team, which brings together leading virologists from 10 research institutions, including King’s College London, University of Glasgow and the Pirbright Institute.