No new cases of South African Covid-19 variant in Scarborough Borough
There have been no new cases of the more contagious South African variant of the coronavirus found in either Scarborough or North Yorkshire, it has been revealed.
There have been no new cases of the more contagious South African variant of the coronavirus found in either Scarborough or North Yorkshire, it has been revealed.
Last week, two people tested positive for the new variant in Scarborough after returning from international travel but health chiefs have confirmed that it appears not to have spread to the community.
The South African variant contains a mutation which is believed to make the virus more contagious than previous variants and also has other mutations which lead to fears that it could reduce the effectiveness of existing vaccines, though it has since been found that the vaccines do still prevent serious illness as a result of the virus.
Louise Wallace, North Yorkshire’s director of Public Health, told a meeting of the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum this morning that no new cases had been found a week on.
She said:
“The position this week remains the same as last week. I am not aware of any further cases across the county and therefore I am not aware of any evidence of community transmission.”
The two people in Scarborough had “isolated in line with guidance” upon their return to the country, Mrs Wallace has previously said.
Public Health Consultant Dr Victoria Turner also told the meeting that planning for surge testing in case any community transmission of the variant was discovered is under way so it could be rolled out quickly.
Surge testing, which includes testing people door-to-door, is being carried out in a number of areas where the South African variant has been found, including in parts of Bristol and London.
Today it has also been confirmed that more than 1,000 people have now died in North Yorkshire as a result of Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic, the meeting heard.
The total has now reached 1,006, with 539 people having died in hospital and 387 in care homes.