The new mutation of the SARS-COV-2 virus is worrying the British government, which has led to it being one of the main reasons for Portugal’s exclusion from the UK green list announced this Thursday by the Minister of Transport. … This new incarnation of covid-19, linked to Nepal, has already caused about 90 infections worldwide, according to data GISAID databaseand twelve of them were found in Portugal.
According to Public Health England, this option is not being investigated because it is not (yet) “mutational.” However, UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps pointed to “an increase in infection rates associated with a Nepalese mutation of the Indian variant of the virus”, pointing out that “it is not yet possible to measure the effectiveness of the vaccine (anti covid-19). in this new “form”.
A government official admitted that it would be better to take Portugal off the green list now than wait until June 21, when the British government intends to revise the list of countries at risk in the face of the ongoing pandemic. This mutation, called K417N, or “Nepalese variant”, is present in several countries, namely the United States, Great Britain, India, and also in Portugal. There are also 14 infected in Japan, 13 of them from Nepal. However, it is unclear if the mutation originated in this country.
Of get up with a British newspaper The keeperthis mutation has already been found in the so-called “South African variant”, which has been identified as more resistant to the effects of inoculation against the disease.
Grant Shapps confirmed to the press this Thursday that Portugal has been delisted from the green list of safe destinations for British travelers due to the return, which is taking place at a time when many tourists from the United Kingdom are preparing for their holidays in the Algarve. Thanks to this new measure, which the government considers “security”, British tourists are now required to undergo a ten-day quarantine upon their return from Portugal.
According to the ministry, the decision was also made after Portugal has “doubled its infection rate” since the last update of this list by the British authorities. According to the British press, the restriction will take effect next Tuesday.
