(Adds government statement, details)
LONDON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - 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.
Residents in eight postcodes - three in London; two in the
south east and one in the West Midlands, east of England, and
the North West - would now be tested for the new coronavirus
whether they are showing any symptoms or not under what is known
as "surge testing" it said.
"Every person over 16 living in these locations is strongly
encouraged to take a Covid test this week, whether they are
showing symptoms or not," the government said in a statement.
The government said in January it had detected cases of both
the South African and Brazilian variants, but all were linked to
travel.
In total, Public Health England said it had identified 105
cases of the South African variant since Dec 22.
All viruses mutate frequently, and scientists have
identified several variants of the novel coronavirus found to be
more transmissible than the original strain.
The emergence of more infectious variants has raised
questions over whether vaccines will prove as effective in
containing them.
Scientists have said the South African variant appears to be
more transmissible, but there is no evidence it causes more
severe disease. But several laboratory studies have found that
it reduces vaccine and antibody therapy efficacy.
Clinical trial data on two COVID-19 vaccines - from Novavax
and Johnson & Johnson - released on Saturday showed they had
less ability to protect against the illness caused by the South
African variant.
But the Surrey Local Resilience Forum said there was no
evidence the regulated vaccine would not protect against it. The
Oxford-AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are being rolled
out across Britain.
(Reporting by Kate Holton, Michael Holden and Paul Sandle,
editing by Estelle Shirbon and Timothy Heritage)
Astrazeneca (AZN)
