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LONDON (Reuters) - Eleven people in different regions of England have tested positive for the South African coronavirus variant without having any links to people who have travelled, prompting mass testing in the areas to contain the outbreak.
A public health information message is seen at a bus stop in West Ealing as the South African variant of the novel coronavirus is reported in parts of the United Kingdom amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), London, Britain, February 1, 2021. REUTERS/Toby Melville
Britain, with the world’s fifth-highest COVID-19 death toll, has moved to tighten its borders out of concern that new variants of the virus will undermine its vaccination drive.
Britain detects South African variant in people with no travel links
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Reuters
February 01, 2021
Healthcare workers transport a patient at the Royal London Hospital, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) continues, in London, Britain, January 26, 2021. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
LONDON:
Two people in southern England have tested positive for the South African variant of the coronavirus without having any links to people who have travelled recently, prompting “surge testing” to contain the outbreak.
Residents in parts of Surrey, to the south-west of London, will now be tested whether they are showing any symptoms or not, the local authority said.
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Britain detects SA variant in people with no travel links
Residents in parts of Surrey, to the south west of London, will now be tested whether they are showing any symptoms or not.
By Kate Holton and Michael Holden, Reuters
1 Feb 2021 14:23
Image: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg
Eleven people in different regions have tested positive for the South African coronavirus variant without having any links to people who have travelled recently, prompting mass testing in the areas to contain the outbreak.
The government said on Monday the cases were now self-isolating and robust contact tracing had taken place to trace their contacts and ask them to self-isolate.
2 Cases of South African Virus Variant in South of England Without Travel Links
Two people in the south of England have tested positive for the South African variant of the CCP virus the first such cases with no identified links to travel from the country.
The discovery in Surrey sparked the rollout of local “surge testing” of thousands of people as local authorities try to stem the spread of the more transmissible variant.
“Residents in the affected areas, and across Woking, should remain calm and continue to follow the national restrictions that are currently in place,” Surrey County Council said in a statement.
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South Africa became the first country on its continent to register more than one million Covid-19 cases after a new variant of coronavirus was identified.
Since the start of the pandemic, the country has recorded a total of 1,453,761 cases and 44,164 coronavirus deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
The identification of the mutated strain of Covid-19 in South Africa prompted the UK to introduce a travel ban which includes the suspension of direct flights from the country.