UK concerned over new COVID strain with 30 mutations adds 6 African countries to red list

The United Kingdom has announced a temporary ban on flights from six African countries after a new COVID strain was detected with more than 30 mutations. The six African countries - South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini - will be been moved to the red list on Friday, with air travel temporarily suspended to prevent the virus from spreading, UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said on Tuesday. The development comes as Variant B.1.1.529 was declared "the worst one we've seen so far" by an expert at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), as per BBC.

While no cases have been reported in the UK, Javid informed via Twitter post that UKHSA is "investigating a new variant and more data is needed but we're taking precautions now." Apart from suspension of flights, non-British travellers and Irish residents will be banned from entering England if they have been in the said six countries in the past 10 days. Additionally, any British or Irish residents arriving from the countries after 4 pm on Sunday will have to undergo hotel quarantine, and those returning before must isolate at home. Returnees in the last 10 days are also being asked to take a PCR test by the UKHSA, says a BBC report.

Expressing "deep concern" about the new variant, UK Health Secretary Javid said that the variant has a significant number of mutations, "perhaps double of Delta variant." He also added that the suspension of flights is just "being cautious and taking action and trying to protect" citizens. As per reports, the flight ban will remain in place until the hotel quarantine system is 'up and running,' the Health Secretary added.

"We are taking precautionary action to protect public health and progress of our vaccine roll out at a critical moment as we entering winter and we are monitoring the situation closely," Javid said in a statement, as quoted by ANI.

New COVID strain is far more transmissible than Delta

The new variant is under investigation by the UKHSA, is heavily mutated and the confirmed cases are mostly concentrated in one province in South Africa. Announcing it "very different", experts in South Africa have raised concerns saying that the new variant is far more transmissible than the Delta variant of the COVID virus. Additionally, it is also capable to get around parts of the immune system, BBC reported. Scientists also suggested that the variant has 50 mutations overall and more than 30 on spike protein, which is the key the virus used to slither its way through the body cells. As per Financial Times, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is covering an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the potentially rapidly spreading COVID strain found in Botswana. As per BBC, so far 59 confirmed cases have been identified in South Africa, Hong Kong and Botswana so far.

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