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Many countries expect the impact of B.1.1.7 to be yet to come.
It’s a worrying possibility in the United States, which has long experienced the world’s largest coronavirus outbreak and is in the midst of a post-holiday wave. Federal health experts on Friday warned in dire terms that B.1.1.7 would most likely be the main source of infection in the country by March.
To date, almost 20 European countries have found B.1.1.7. In Denmark on Saturday, authorities said more than 250 cases had been detected in samples taken since November. The country’s health minister predicted the variant would predominate in mid-February. The country’s coronavirus monitor also reported that it had identified a case of the variant found in South Africa, Reuters reported.
Many countries in Europe are stepping up their mitigation efforts. A national 6 p.m. curfew went into effect in France on Saturday, and authorities warned they could reimpose strict lockdown measures. Scotland has tightened already tight restrictions, including banning drinking outside and banning customers from entering establishments to buy take-out or coffee. Britain and Germany have closed schools.
In a stark contrast, Spanish authorities have refused to impose a new nationwide lockdown, arguing that the recent discovery of dozens of cases of the variant was not to blame for a record rise in infections.
Britain on Saturday reported eight cases of one of the variants found in Brazil, hours after UK authorities imposed a travel ban from Latin American countries and Portugal, which is linked to Brazil by its colonial history and by current travel and trade relations. Italy has also suspended flights from Brazil, its Health Minister Roberto Speranza announced on Facebook.
A leading epidemiologist said a second variant discovered in Brazil was likely already present in Britain.
“We are one of the most connected countries in the world, so I would find it unusual if we had not imported some cases into the UK,” Professor John Edmunds, a member of a group of scientists advising the government on the pandemic, said of the second variant, which was found in the Brazilian city of Manaus.
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