If mystery carrier of Brazil variant is in Northern Ireland Matt Hancock wants them to ring this number immediately

Health authorities are searching for an as of yet unidentified person who tested positive for the Brazil variant of Covid-19 who could be literally anywhere in the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland.
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Health Secretary Hancock appealed to anyone who may have taken a Covid-19 test on either February 12 and February 13 and who had not received results to make contact immediately.

"If you are in Northern Ireland England or Wales please call 119 or in Scotland 0300 303 2713.

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Dr Susan Hopkins, strategic response director at Public Health England (PHE), said the scenario the authorities were dealing with was "extremely rare" and has a one in a thousand chance of happening.

Surge testing is being rolled out in certain parts of the United Kingdom as a direct result of the Brazil variant. (Photo: PA Wire)Surge testing is being rolled out in certain parts of the United Kingdom as a direct result of the Brazil variant. (Photo: PA Wire)
Surge testing is being rolled out in certain parts of the United Kingdom as a direct result of the Brazil variant. (Photo: PA Wire)

There is concern that the Brazil variant (P1), which was responsible for a huge second wave of the virus in Manaus, is more transmissible and capable of antigenic escape which means existing Covid-19 vaccinations might not be as effective.

The UK’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) designated P1 a “variant of concern”.

The news comes on the same day Mr. Hancock shared what he described as "extremely good news" concerning vaccinations.

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Mr. Hancock said new data suggests “a single shot of either the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine or of the Pfizer vaccine works against severe infection among the over-70s with a more than 80% reduction in hospitalisations”.

“In fact, the detailed data show that the protection that you get from catching Covid 35 days after a first jab is even slightly better for the Oxford jab than for Pfizer, albeit both results are clearly very strong," added the Health Secretary.

To date, no cases of the Brazil variant have been detected in Northern Ireland.

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