UK Virus Mutation Prompts "Panic Shopping", #lettuce Trends On Twitter UK Virus Mutation Prompts "Panic Shopping", #lettuce Trends On Twitter Scientists are advising the British government estimated that the new variant was 50% more transmissible. In Britain panicked shoppers tried to stock up on supplies for Christmas and beyond. (File) London: The British government scrambled Monday to dampen the impact of travel entry bans from more than 40 countries prompted by fear of a new coronavirus mutation believed to have originated in England. Health officials said they do not believe the mutation is more deadly or vaccine resistant, but evidence that it spreads much more easily has alarmed governments in Europe and around the world.