| UPDATED: 19:18, Mon, Dec 14, 2020 Link copied Sign up for FREE health tips to live a long and happy life SUBSCRIBE Invalid email When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. The Covid strain was first identified in Kent last week during routine surveillance by Public Health England, with ministers told about it on Friday. Now, 60 local authorities in England have reported cases of the variant of coronavirus. Health Secretary Matt Hancock told MPs today that the number of cases involving the new variant is "increasing rapidly".