Door To Door Testing Blitz Underway in Britain To Find South Africa Covid Variant

Door To Door Testing Blitz Underway in Britain To Find South Africa Covid Variant

Door To Door Testing Blitz Underway in Britain To Find South Africa Covid Variant. image: Twitter

Door To Door Testing Blitz Underway in Britain To Find South Africa Covid Variant.

A door-to-door testing blitz is getting underway in a bid to find “every single case” of the South African coronavirus variant in England. The government has said that on-the-spot doorstep tests, home testing kits and mobile testing units will be deployed to try to reach 80,000 people in eight specific areas.

It follows fears that the more infectious version may be spreading in communities in England. Health secretary Matt Hancock said he wanted to “come down hard” on the variant, he said that “finding every case” of the variant is the goal, with everyone over 16 in the targeted areas urged to take a test, whether they have symptoms or not.

Genetic sequencing has so far uncovered 105 cases of the variant, which like the variant previously discovered in Kent is thought to be more contagious although not more deadly. Eleven of the cases of the South African variant had no link to foreign travel, prompting concerns it is spreading in the community.

Dr Susan Hopkins from Public Health England said the existing vaccines may offer less protection against the South African variant, although they still offer a good level of immunity.

Hancock revealed that 9.2 million people have already been vaccinated in the UK. More than 600,000 people were given the jab across the country yesterday, Feb, 1, and ministers have reportedly been briefed that coronavirus infections are “stabilising”.


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Tony Winterburn

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