Mutant coronavirus strain started in Kent, Nervtag believes | The mutant strain of coronavirus originated in a person from Kent, scientists believe. Experts from New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) have revealed today that the newly discovered, faster-spreading form of the illness originated in the county. A coronavirus warning in Sheerness High Street, which is in Swale - one the worst-hit parts of the county It was previously reported that it was first recorded in the county but its origins were not clear at the time. Its chairman, Professor Peter Horby, told the House of Commons' Science and Technology Committee it has become the most prevalent version of Covid-19 in Kent and London.