The variant of coronavirus first identified in India is likely to become a “variant of concern”, an immunology expert has warned on Good Morning Britain.
Danny Altmann, professor of immunology at Imperial College London, appeared on the ITV show on Monday as he discussed the new strain after dozens of cases were found in the UK.
He warned variants of the virus which causes Covid-19 “do pose a threat” and vulnerable people could be “caught out”.
According to the latest figures, four cases of the variant, known as B.1.617 and first discovered in India, have been found in Scotland as well as 73 cases in England.
It's currently designated as a “variant under investigation” (VUI) rather than a “variant of concern” (VOC), such as those first identified in Kent, Manaus (Brazil) or South Africa.
He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “I am concerned about all the variants. Don’t get me wrong, I think our road map is going well and at the moment, in this country, we are doing rather well, enjoying unlocking.
“But out there, there is the Indian variant, the South African, Brazilian etc, and they do pose a threat.”
He added: “At the moment, we are still vulnerable, and some people in our population are still vulnerable – what I mean by that is the Indian variant, for example, certainly has a mutation like the ones that evade the best neutralising antibodies.
“What that means is, if you have a population where at least half of us have had zero or one dose of vaccine, some won’t have made a very good response to the vaccine, because perhaps they are very old or obese or unwell.
"We still have a very large vulnerable population who can still be caught out by variants like this.
"At the moment, this particular variant is called a variant under investigation, not a variant of concern because it hasn’t been escalated to that level yet.
“My assumption from everything I’ve seen is that it will become a variant of concern."
There are four so-called “variants of concern” and seven “variants under investigation” which have been identified in the UK.
has warned Scotland faces a "big risk" of importing new variants of the coronavirus if restrictions on international travel are lifted too soon.
The First Minister admitted lifting travel abroad "too quickly" last year which allowed the virus to re-seed amongst the population, which then lead to a second national lockdown.
Speaking on the Sophy Ridge on Sunday show, Nicola Strurgeon acknowledged the fast spreading Indian variant and said it wasn't a big concern at the moment in Scotland but did admit it was of interest.
"It is a variant of interest as oppose to a variant of concern," the SNP leader added.
