IPFS News Link • United Kingdom
England Expands "Tier 4" Lockdowns As Another "Mutant" COVID Strain Emerges
• https://www.zerohedge.com, by Tyler DurdenWell, now it looks like the virus has moved on to the "COVID-19 Pro Max".
According to the latest comments from the health secretary, a variant of the virus recently discovered in South Africa has made its way to England, which policy makers are now using as justification to expand HMG's heavy handed restrictions by placing more of East and South England under "Level 4" - which is the most restrictive lockdown since the spring.
"Tier 3 is not enough to control the new variant. This is not a hypothesis, this is a fact," Hancock said. "It is therefore necessary to put more of the East and South East of England into Tier 4".
Some media outlets initially mistook the two variants, which share a mutation in the same area of their RNA, as the same strain, but scientists who have sequenced its RNA have found that the South Africa strain constitutes a designation all its own. The original strain found in the UK is separate. According to officials, at least 2 younger Britons have been found carrying the strain from SA, which is reportedly even more transmissible than the UK mutation. Anecdotally, there have been reports about the strain infecting more young people.
In response to the news of the latest mutation, the following areas will enter Tier 4: Sussex Oxfordshire Suffolk Norfolk Cambridge Essex Waverley in Surrey Hampshire, including Portsmouth and Southampton.
"Matt Hancock announces changes to COVID-19 tiers in several areas of England" https://t.co/fwKxaMpr2B
— (((Sukhdeep Butty))) (@Sukhdeep_Butty) December 23, 2020