Seniors wait in the recovery area after receiving the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine in New York
(Picture: AP)Three cases of a coronavirus variant that was first detected in New York have been found in the UK.
Public Health England (PHE) said it was “monitoring the situation closely” as it continues to work with partners around the world to identify variants of Covid-19.
Many of the cases of the B.1.526 variant that was first detected in New York, have been found to contain the E484K mutation.
PHE said the three cases of the New York variant that were detected in the UK, do not contain the E484K mutation which has also been seen in South Africa and Brazil.
Meera Chand, PHE Incident Director for Covid-19, said: “Public Health England is aware of three UK cases of the B.1.526 lineage of SARS-CoV-2 that was first detected in New York.
“None of these cases feature the E484K or S477N mutations that are present on some Variants of Concern.”
Earlier this month, officials said they had seen no evidence that the New York City variant was deadlier or more vaccine resistant than earlier forms of the virus.
Health Commissioner Dr Dave Chokshi said data from the city’s pandemic response lab showed that the New York variant accounted for 39 per cent of virus samples analysed during the most recent week, up from 31 per cent the week before.
Dr Chokshi told the Associated Press that the variant first detected in the UK accounted for 12 per cent of New York City cases, up from 8 per cent the week before.
“Viruses are wily. They adapt and change, which affects what circulates in our communities,” he said.
