Experts say latest number shows need to remain vigilant; Wales unveils new measures
- Wales to introduce new risk assessments for shops and workplaces
- Regulator refuses to approve mass daily testing at English schools
- UK bans arrivals from South America over Brazilian variant
- How to care for people with Covid at home
- Global coronavirus updates – live
The Scottish Conservatives have thrown their Holyrood candidate for Glasgow Pollok out of the party over what the party called “unacceptable comments” about food bank users.
Following an investigation prompted by reports in the Daily Record this morning, the party announced “Craig Ross is no longer a candidate or a member of the party.”
The concerning Brazilian variant of coronavirus does not appear to affect vaccines, Downing Street has said, after a top virologist suggested a separate strain from Brazil is already in the country.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said scientists at the government’s Porton Down research facility are currently investigating the new concerning strain, which has been detected in travellers to Japan. It has led to travellers from South America and Portugal being banned from entering the UK.
As with some of the other variants we’ve seen, the Kent [UK] variant and the South Africa variant, evidence does suggest that it [the concerning Brazil variant] may be more transmissible. More research is required to confirm this and Porton Down will conduct that research but current evidence does not suggest that the strain causes any higher mortality rate or that it affects the vaccines or treatments.
It’s obviously right that we continue to look at different variants and take action accordingly. As soon as we identified this variant, our teams were quickly working on this and, given that we know this could pose a significant risk to the UK, we acted as quickly as possible, which is why you’ve seen this travel ban from those countries enacted quickly.
The new Brazilian variant of concern, that was picked up in travellers going to Japan, has not been detected in the UK. Other variants that may have originated from Brazil have been previously found.
It is really important that we carry out this work now, and carry it out carefully, and in several different laboratories, to really firm up those results because they have big implications.
