The Indian variant of the coronavirus is already dominant in several parts of the UK

The variant of the coronavirus initially detected in India has become the COVID-19 “ dominant ” mutation in parts of the Kingdom United, as Jenny Harries, CEO of the British Health Security Agency, reported on Sunday.

Talk to BBC, the expert said the country currently presents “a somewhat mixed picture”, in which, in areas such as Bolton and Bedfrod, in the northwest, “(this mutation) begins to become dominant and has overtaken that of Kent, which had been the dominant variant during the winter months“.

Harries believes the government may be able to lift all restrictions on June 21 – the date set out in the executive’s “roadmap” to de-escalate – but called for “caution” in order to de-escalate it. ” avoid re-locking.

For his part, in statements to the same channel, Professor Adam Finn of the British Joint Commission for Vaccination and Immunization stressed that scientists they believe that said Indian variant is “to some extent more transmissible” than the others, although “how much more exactly” is not yet certain.

Finn admitted that this mutation has placed the country “in a slightly worse situation than before, but not a disaster“.

He also stressed the importance of vaccinating citizens “to gradually eliminate the proportion of the population that remains susceptible” and added that “we can be sure that immunity will continue to some extent even as the virus evolves”.

According to data released yesterday by NHS England, 31,546,846 adults in the UK have already received their first dose and 18,699,556 have received both, while health services welcome people aged 32 to 33 in England .

Vaccines are effective against this variant

The formulas of Pfizer / BioNTech and AstraZeneca / Oxford are almost as effective against the Indian variant of the coronavirus as against the English, indicates this Saturday a study of the English health authorities (PHE).

According to this PHE report, carried out between April 5 and May 16, the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine was 88% effective against the symptomatic Indian variant of the disease two weeks after the second dose and one 93% compared to the English.

During this same period, AstraZeneca serum had a 60% efficiency, against 66% compared to the English variant, detected in Kent.

The Minister of Health, Matt Hancock, welcomed these “innovative” results, when the government bet on its vaccination campaign to guard against an epidemic of the Indian variant which jeopardizes the continuation of its plan of deconfinement.

To contain the distribution of variant B.1.617.2, the interval between the two doses of the vaccine (up to three months) has been reduced to eight weeks for people over 50 and the most vulnerable.

In addition, screening tests have been stepped up in affected areas (particularly in the north-west of England and parts of London).

(With information from EFE)

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