New ‘triple mutant’ Covid strain discovered in Yorkshire as scientists probe ‘strange combination’ of genes

A NEW ‘triple mutant’ Covid strain has been discovered in Yorkshire as scientists investigate a “strange combination” of genes.

A total of 49 cases of the new strain have been identified – but there is no evidence to show that it is more transmissible or resistant to vaccines, health chiefs said.

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The “variant under investigation” which has been identified in Yorkshire and the Humber is now being probed by Public Health England, as the country’s R rate creeped up to 0.9.

However, residents in Yorkshire have been urged not to be alarmed at the spread of the latest strain, called VUI-21MAY-01 or AV.1.

Greg Fell, director of public health in Sheffield, said his team had been monitoring the “triple mutant” variant and found no reason to think it is more transmissible or resistant to vaccines. 

Extra testing and tracing is being carried out while the “strange combination of mutations” continues to be probed.

Downing Street said yesterday that the variant is being monitored and stressed “we won’t hesitate to put in measures that we think are necessary to try and tackle the transmission of any variants”.

This comes as the West of England saw cases of the Indian variant quadruple in one week as Covid cases rise in 97 areas.

Official data shows there were 1,258 cases discovered in the North West by May 19 – up from 319 just a week before.

Cases have risen by more than double in every other region except Yorkshire and London, where they have gone up by 70 to 80 per cent.

No other part of the country has case numbers as high as the North West, where cases are centred in Bolton and Blackburn.

London is the closest, with 720 cases detected – up from 400 the week prior.

But Prime Minister Boris Johnson this week said data suggests that the vaccines being rolled out do work against the Indian variant.

And experts have warned that coronavirus vaccines will “fail to protect” people eventually from new variants of the virus.

As viruses grow and mutate they can come to evade vaccines and Sage scientists have stated that jabs already being rolled out might not protect people against new variants.

In papers released yesterday, Sage said: “Eventually it is likely that the virus will display sufficient substantial antigenic variation and current vaccines will fail to protect against transmission, infection, or even against disease caused by newer variants.”