A new Covid mutation has been detected in the UK, with 49 cases confirmed so far.
Several coronavirus strains have been detected in the country since the start of the pandemic - including the Kent strain and more recently the Indian one.
The Indian strain has been a particular cause for concern with fears it could become the dominant strain and could be up to 50% more infectious.
Public Health England has now designated a new coronavirus strain as a Variant Under Investigation - one step below the Variant Of Concern designation given to the strain from India.
Currently categorised as VUI-21MAY-01 by Public Health England (PHE), 49 cases of the new variant have been confirmed in England.
PHE said cases of the new variant have been mainly concentrated in Yorkshire and the Humber.
PHE explained it had been monitoring the variant since April and that the variant is "from a lineage which was designated a signal in monitoring on May 6, 2021 based on an unusual mutation profile".
There is currently no evidence the coronavirus variant under investigation causes more severe disease.
There is also no evidence that the new variant threatens the effectiveness of the current vaccines, according to PHE.
If deemed appropriate, variants under investigation may be upgraded to become a "variant of concern".
