UK PM on Manaus variant, quarantine, schools

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday there was "no threat to the wider public" after concerns were raised following the announcement a person in the UK who had contracted the highly contagious Brazil strain of coronavirus had not been traced.

Health officials in the UK said they had identified six cases of the variant first identified in the Brazilian city of Manaus - including one in a person who has not been traced.

Scientists say the variant is more transmissible and may be more resistant to existing vaccines than the original virus, and may be able to infect people who have previously had COVID-19.