New Bristol variant could re-infect previously infected or vaccinated people, UK government science adviser says From CNN's Hannah Ritchie People wait outside a coronavirus surge testing center at a library in Bristol, England, on February 9, following the identification of a mutated variant in the region. Ben Birchall/PA Images/Getty Images A new coronavirus mutation known as the Bristol variant might "infect people who were previously infected, or have been previously vaccinated," Professor John Edmunds, a member of the UK government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) said Thursday. "I don't know whether the Bristol variant is any more transmissible than the Kent variant. I suspect it isn't," Edmunds told ITV News.