Experts are seeking to urgently test 80,000 people in England for Covid-19 after it emerged that the South African strain of the virus may have spread in some regions.
Health officials said 11 people had been identified over the last five or six days who have tested positive for the variant, but who have no links to travel.
This suggests there may pockets of spread in local communities of the new variant, with the possibility of further cases.
Experts from Public Health England (PHE), who have been sequencing around 5% to 10% of all positive cases looking for variants, are now hoping to break any chains of transmission. All but two areas involved single cases of the variant.
Testing in eight postcodes across England after cases of SA Covid
11 cases of the variant have been detected in people who have not travelled to South Africa
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Surge testing to be carried out in the North West as fears grow over new coronavirus strain
Residents in parts of England are to be urgently tested for Covid-19 after it emerged that the South African strain of the virus may have started spreading in the community. Surge testing is to be carried out in parts of the country where the new virus strain has been detected, including in the North West. According to a statement for the Department of Health, the postcodes affected include areas of London, the West Midlands, the south East and the PR9 postcode – Southport. There have been 11 cases of the variant identified across England with no links to travel.
The language controversy
There are many ways and tools a community can use for preserving and promoting its culture besides language
The writer is a PhD in Administrative Sciences and associated with SZABIST, Islamabad. He can be reached at [email protected]
Like many unresolved perennial issues in Pakistan, the question of which language to use as a medium of instruction during the formative years of school-going kids remains unaddressed. For some ordinary folks, language is a cultural artefact a symbol of identity and carrier of a community’s unique way of life which has to be preserved by all means. For others, language is no one’s property just a means of communication and so a community can adopt any language it deems fit.