UK discusses action to take after new COVID strain is confirmed to be spreading faster

LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday discussed urgent action with his senior ministers after it was confirmed that a new strain of the COVID-19 virus could spread faster and lead to an increase in case.

The BBC reported that London and the south-east of England would be placed on a new, higher level of restrictions and that the government would reduce a planned easing of rules over Christmas, but gave no further details.

Johnson will hold a press conference around 4:00 p.m. GMT where he will discuss his plans in light of an increase in infections in London and the south-east of England linked to a new, more transmissible variant of the virus.

England Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said that while there was no current evidence that the variant of the novel coronavirus was causing a higher death rate or affecting vaccines, urgent work was underway to confirm this.

“We have alerted the World Health Organization and continue to analyze the available data to improve our understanding,” Whitty said in a statement.

Britain reported 28,507 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday and 489 deaths, with an estimated ‘R’ reproduction number between 1.1 and 1.2, meaning the number of cases is increasing rapidly.

Johnson said on Friday he hopes England will not need a third lockdown after Christmas and has so far resisted calls to change plans to ease restrictions for five days during the holiday season , allowing three separate households to meet inside.

Much of the country, including London, is currently at the top of a three-tier system of restrictions to curb the spread of the pandemic. The Daily Telegraph newspaper said ministers could now announce restrictions on travel between the south-east of England, including the capital, and the rest of the country.

The BBC said those areas will now be placed in a new “level 4”, with tightening rules for Christmas.

“Failure to act decisively now will lead to further suffering,” Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust and a member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), said on Twitter. “We have to keep asking ourselves ‘are we doing enough, are we doing enough fast’.”

The opposition Labor Party said the prioritization system had failed to curb the spread of the virus.

“It has been clear in recent days that the virus is out of control again in parts of the country,” said Jonathan Ashworth, spokesperson for Labor for health.