12/20—EU isolates UK as new variant spreads (up to 70% increased transmissibility / R0 +0.4)
Rapid increase of a SARS-CoV-2 variant with multiple spike protein mutations observed in the United Kingdom
[ECDC brief.] Over the last few weeks, the UK has faced a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases in South East England. Analysis of viral genome sequence data identified a large proportion of cases belonged to a new single phylogenetic cluster. The new variant is defined by multiple spike protein mutations. Preliminary analysis in the UK suggests that this variant is significantly more transmissible than previously circulating variants, with an estimated potential to increase the reproductive number (R) by 0.4 or greater with an estimated increased transmissibility of up to 70%. This new variant has emerged at a time of the year when there has traditionally been increased family and social mixing. A few cases with the new variant have to date been reported by Denmark and the Netherlands and, according to media reports, in Belgium.
Boris Johnson Tightens U.K. Lockdown, Citing Fast-Spreading Version of Virus
[NY Times report.] Alarmed by a fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed a wholesale lockdown on London and most of England’s southeast. The decision came after the government got new evidence of a variant first detected several weeks ago in southeast England, which the prime minister asserted was as much as 70 percent more transmissible than previous versions.
SARS-CoV-2 D614G variant exhibits efficient replication ex vivo and transmission in vivo
The ancestral form of SARS-CoV-2 that emerged from China has now been largely replaced by strains containing the mutation D614G (Asp614-to-Gly) in the viral spike protein. The variant is better at infecting upper-airway epithelial cells and replicates in greater numbers than the ancestral virus.
The Coronavirus Is Mutating. What Does That Mean for Us?
[NY Times report.] Citing the rapid spread of the virus through London and surrounding areas, Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed the country’s most stringent lockdown since March. In South Africa, a similar version of the virus has emerged, which seems to share some of the mutations seen in the British variant. That virus has been found in 90 percent of the samples whose genetic sequences have been analyzed in South Africa.
More EU nations halting U.K. flights over fears of new coronavirus variant
[Media report.] One by one, several European Union nations banned flights from the U.K. on Sunday and others were considering such action, all in hopes of blocking a new strain of coronavirus sweeping across southern England from establishing a strong foothold on the continent. Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Italy all announced restrictions on U.K. travel.
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