News Reader.info

A variant of Covid-19 first identified in India has been imported to Britain. Scientists are currently investigating the strain to determine if it is a "variant of concern". Cases

of coronavirus have skyrocketed in India in recent weeks, with 273,810 new infections registered on Monday. A record 1,619 new deaths were also recorded. There are fears the India mutation

risks derailing Boris Johnson's roadmap out of lockdown, with the variant appearing to have evolved to avoid antibodies. It means even those who have been given a vaccine against

coronavirus could be vulnerable to the strain. The Health Secretary will update MPs at 3.30pm. READ MORE: MODERNA VACCINE SET TO MISS UK TARGET – BUT WILL HIT EU SHIPPING GOAL Danny Altmann,

professor of immunology at Imperial College London, this morning warned vulnerable people could be "caught out" by the new strain. He told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "I

am concerned about all the variants. Don't get me wrong, I think our road map is going well and at the moment, in this country, we are doing rather well, enjoying unlocking. "But

out there, there is the Indian variant, the South African, Brazilian etc, and they do pose a threat." He added: "At the moment, we are still vulnerable, and some people in our

population are still vulnerable - what I mean by that is the Indian variant, for example, certainly has a mutation like the ones that evade the best neutralising antibodies. "What that

means is, if you have a population where at least half of us have had zero or one dose of vaccine, some won't have made a very good response to the vaccine, because perhaps they are

very old or obese or unwell, we still have a very large vulnerable population who can still be caught out by variants like this. "At the moment, this particular variant is called a

variant under investigation, not a variant of concern because it hasn't been escalated to that level yet. DON'T MISS: STURGEON BLASTS BORIS OVER ‘LAX’ TRAFFIC LIGHT SYSTEM FOR

TRAVEL [UPDATE] MACRON LEFT TO RUE ATTACKS ON ASTRAZENECA AS THOUSANDS SPURN JAB [INSIGHT] ASTRAZENECA DOESN'T SHOW GOOD PROTECTION AGAINST SOUTH AFRICAN VARIANT [WARNING] "My

assumption from everything I've seen is that it will become a variant of concern." The latest official figures show there have been 73 cases of the strain detected in England, as

well as four more infections in Scotland. Despite worries about the variant and the surging number of cases in India, the country has not yet been added to the UK's travel "red

list". All those returning to the UK from areas on the list are required to spend 10 days in quarantine at a specialised isolation hotel. It is not expected Mr Hancock will announce

India is moving onto the red list when he makes his statement in the Commons later today. Any update on travel restrictions would be made by the Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps. During a

visit to Gloucestershire this morning, the Prime Minister added any decision on the restrictions would be mae following advice from independent experts. He said: "The red list is very

much a matter for the independent UK Health Security Agency - they will have to take that decision.