The Scottish Government yesterday revealed that it is monitoring a new strain of the Delta Covid variant.
‘Delta Plus’, or what is technically known as AY.4.2, is believed to account for around 6% of new cases of the virus in the UK.
But despite the words of caution, it has not yet been considered as a Variant of Concern or a Variant Under Consideration.
Nicola Sturgeon urged people to continue practising good hygiene measures in a bid to prevent the spread of the strain.
The First Minister Tweeted: “The need to monitor this was discussed @Scotgov cabinet earlier.
“More generally, cases here - though lower than a few weeks ago - remain higher than we’d like.
“So please take care: wear masks, wash hands, ventilate indoor spaces and get vaccinated.”
New variants of Covid have been one of the most concerning aspects of the recent fight against coronavirus.
The emergence of the new strains has impacted progress, with public health measures previously being reimposed to protect Scots.
And there are a number of strains are still considered as being ‘of concern’ or ‘under investigation’ by experts.
Here are four variants that have been identified as being ‘Variants of Concern’ in the UK.
B.1.1.7 (Alpha)
The Alpha variant was first detected in the UK in September 2020 and was previously known as the ‘Kent variant’.
Experts said that the strain started to spread in the south east of England before quickly becoming the dominant Covid variant in the UK.
The variant carried the N501Y mutation, which meant that it could circulate quicker around the population.
Discovery of the variant was only made in December that year, before it eventually led to plans for Christmas easing being torn up.
UK Government data reveals that 24,093 Covid infections in Scotland were identified as carrying the strain.
B.1.351 (Beta)
The Beta variant was first discovered to be in circulation in South Africa in December 2020.
Concerns were raised after it was discovered that it contained mutations that could potential evade the protection given by approved vaccines.
A number of pharmaceutical firms reported dips in the effectiveness of their jabs when coming up against this strain.
The South African government halted the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine before eventually selling them on to other African Union states.
Research carried out by experts at the University of Witwatersrand said that the jabs offered ‘minimal protection’ against mild to moderate infection.
UK Government data shows that 49 confirmed cases of the strain were identified in Scotland since the variant’s discovery.
P.1 (Gamma)
The Gamma variant was first discovered in Japan and come from travellers who flew out from the northern Brazilian city of Manaus.
It is believed to have been the cause of a deadly second wave of the virus in the area and shares mutations with the variant discovered in South Africa.
The first three cases of the strain in Scotland were discovered in February from passengers who flew into Aberdeen from Heathrow following a trip to Brazil.
UK Government data reveals that there has been a total of 12 confirmed cases in Scotland.
B.1.617.2 (Delta)
The Delta variant was first discovered in India and has since become the dominant Covid strain in Scotland.
Glasgow was stuck in tougher coronavirus restrictions for longer than the rest of the country after an outbreak of the strain was identified earlier this year.
In June, the then-Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that the Delta variant was accountable for 91% of all new Covid cases in the UK.
The Scottish Government then stepped up measures to increase its vaccination programme following the findings.
A study published at the end of August revealed that the risk of needing hospital treatment for the Delta strain was twice as high as those with the Alpha variant.
Pfizer also previously said that their Covid vaccine was less effective than tackling other strains of the virus - but remained highly effective in stopping serious illness.
