Mutant Covid Cases Are ‘Falling Across UK’

Health Secretary claims that mutant Covid cases are ‘falling across UK’

As coronavirus infections, hospitalisations and deaths continue to decline across the country, it also seems that the deadly Covid variants that originated in Brazil and South Africa are on the retreat, as Health Secretary Matt Hancock attributes strict border controls and a tough lockdown to containing the spread of the mutant strains.

Speaking with Sophy Ridge on Sunday morning, February 21, Matt Hancock said:

“We’ve now got a much stronger vigilance in place, because everybody coming into the country has to be tested and we sequence the results of those tests.

“And we’ve also got a very strong set of actions working with the local authorities very specifically in the areas where a new variant is found.

“We hit it hard and send in enhanced contact-tracing and go door-to-door.

“We’ve now got this programme in place to be able to really, really try to stamp out a new variant where we see it. There is evidence that is working.”

The Secretary was speaking ahead of the Prime Minister’s announcement on his now infamous ‘roadmap’ out of lockdown, which is expected to be unveiled on Monday evening, February 22. Mr Hancock echoed Boris Johnson’s insistence that the relaxing of restrictions would be ‘cautious and phased’.

“We have seen throughout this pandemic that there have been moments when things haven’t got as we expected – for instance, when the new variant was first discovered in Kent,” he added.

For his part, the Prime Minister has previously said that he is “optimistic” that this will be the last lockdown the country has to endure. Mr Johnson is expected to do away with the confusing Tier system that has been used in the UK in the past and replace it with a more straight-forward four-step national plan.

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