COVID-19: India coronavirus strain set to be declared 'variant of concern' in England

A coronavirus strain first detected in India is set to be declared a "variant of concern" by Public Health England, amid fears it is spreading more quickly than others.

The designation of the COVID-19 variant known as B1617.2 by PHE, could see an escalation in response, including the use of surge testing.

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There are thought to have been at least 48 clusters of the coronavirus strain across the country, largely linked to travel, although cases remain relatively low.

It comes as the government is due to reveal quarantine-free holiday destinations with the expected lifting of the ban on foreign breaks from 17 May.

However, despite concerns over the current variant, health experts have said they "haven't seen any hint" any COVID strain can evade the vaccines.

The strain is one of three related variants first seen in India which have been detected in the UK and designated "under investigation" by PHE.

The others are B1617.1 and B1617.3.

It is thought more than 500 cases of B.1.617.2 have now been detected across England with the highest levels in London and the North West of England.

Such a hike would represent a marked increase from the 202 cases officially recorded by PHE in the UK as of 28 April.

Dr Deepti Gurdasani, a clinical epidemiologist and senior lecturer at Queen Mary University of London, told The Guardian that "at the current doubling rate (B1617.2) could easily become dominant in London by the end of May or early June".

Meanwhile, seven confirmed cases of the B1617.2 variant were found in Northern Ireland - the first discovered in the region.

Chief medical officer Dr Michael McBride said the news was "not entirely unexpected" and that plans were in place "for such an eventuality".

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Sharon Peacock, head of the Covid-19 Genomics UK Consortium (COG-UK) and professor of public health and microbiology at the University of Cambridge, said she remained optimistic that the UK "in a good place", with the viruses in circulation "susceptible to vaccinations".

She told Times Radio: "Some people have predicted that a virus could emerge that is pretty resistant to vaccines, but we haven't seen any hint of that at the moment.

"And the idea that this could arise is based on models from previous viruses, not this current one, so at the moment, I remain optimistic that we're in a good place - that the viruses that are circulating are susceptible to vaccinations.

"And the key thing is to get on and vaccinate the world so that we can clamp down (on) disease. If we can reduce disease rates, then we reduce the risk of variants arising in the first place."

There was no evidence the India variant was resistant to the vaccine, she added.

Scientists constantly monitor the threat of variants

Analysis by Ashish Joshi, health correspondent

Viruses mutate all the time. Sometimes this change makes them less of a threat. But at other times it can make them more dangerous.

Public Health England scientists monitor these changes. When a new COVID variant is identified and is considered to have "concerning epidemiological, immunological or pathogenic properties, it is raised for formal investigation".

It is then designated as a Variant Under Investigation.

Following a risk assessment by an expert panel of PHE scientists it may then be designated a Variant of Concern (VOC).

This is what has happened with one of the three identified Indian variants.

The strain B1617.2 was first seen in India and has been detected in the UK.

It appears to spread more quickly than two other identified subtypes of the Indian variant.

And it is thought to be at least as transmissible than the variant detected in Kent last year.