New coronavirus variant under investigation in UK

Public Health Ontario has been routinely testing 3 per cent of all positive COVID-19 cases across the province for variants. "Our team is providing enhanced followup and increased vigilance to do our best to avoid a (variant of concern) from entering high-priority settings like congregate living, health-care settings, schools, or large essential workplaces", said Dr. Joyce Lock, medical officer of health for the region.

New variants emerge regularly and experts are conducting frequent analysis to see which are of concern, and which are not.

Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said those infected were foreign nationals who arrived from Dubai and tested positive after being administered RT-PCR tests.

The findings mean there are now four VUIs and four VOCs being tracked by scientists in the UK.

Currently, there are three different variants circulating in Canada and internationally - the United Kingdom variant known as B.1.1.7., the South African variant known as B.1.351, and the Brazil variant, P.1.

Meanwhile, broadcaster and leading fertility expert Lord Winston warned the risk of a unsafe new variant against which there was no defence was "eventually likely to be inevitable".

Additional testing is now being made available for targeted areas of England to suppress the spread of VOCs.

The resources will be deployed in the North Wembley area of Brent in the capital and the TS19 postcode area in Stockton-on-Tees, in County Durham, to suppress the variant's potential spread, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said.

It follows last week's announcement that surge testing would be deployed in Ealing and Redbridge in London to help control the same variant.

At least three variants of the coronavirus have been found circulating in Canada.

Two variants of the coronavirus have made their way to Duke, the University announced Thursday.

The variant was discovered in two residents who live together. These are the first cases of a variant to be found in the region.