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UK health authorities have confirmed that six cases of the ‘P1’ variant of COVID-19, first identified in Brazil, have been found in England and Scotland.
Three of the cases were found in England, the other three in Scotland. Two of the three English cases had a history of travel to Brazil, but the third has not – and has yet to be identified.
The mysterious victim has not completed his test registration card, which means that details of his whereabouts are not available.
Authorities are now trying to locate the individual in question and have also contacted other passengers on the same flights that tested positive for the new variant.
The P1 variant was initially identified in the city of Manaus, in northern Brazil, and is believed to spread faster than other forms of the virus.
“The identification of this new variant is worrying but we are taking all possible precautions,” said Scottish Health Secretary Jeane Freeman.
“We identified these cases through our use of advanced sequencing capabilities, which means we find more variants and mutations than many other countries and therefore are able to act quickly.”
The P1 variant shares similarities with the B.1.351 variant first identified in South Africa, and research has shown that vaccines may be less effective against it.
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