UK Labels Covid "Variant Of Concern" Linked To Travel From India

Public Health England designated variant B.1.617.2, one of three variants identified in India that has spread to Britain, a variant of concern.

British health officials on Friday labelled a coronavirus variant first found in India a "variant of concern" due to evidence it spreads more easily, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying the situation needed careful handling. Public Health England designated variant B.1.617.2, one of three variants identified in India that has spread to Britain, a variant of concern. Surge testing was being carried out in areas where evidence indicates community spread. Cases of the B.1.617.2 variant increased to 520 from 202 over the last week, PHE said, mainly in London and the northwest town of Bolton, with almost half the cases related to contact with a traveller. "I think we've got to be very careful about that," Johnson told reporters, in reference to the variant.