Indian covid variant found in Suffolk
One case has been confirmed so far
One case of the Indian variant of Covid-19 has been confirmed in Suffolk to date.
Public health bodies continue to work closely to identify any further cases.
Stuart Keeble, director of public health for Suffolk, said:
"This variant is of concern and something that is being monitored closely. There is no firm evidence yet to show it has any greater impact on the severity of the disease or evades the vaccine. The area of concern is around its speed of growth."
"Our advice to people is to keep doing what you have been doing - wear a mask, wash your hands, maintain distancing, get vaccinated as soon as it become available to you and good ventilation if you meet others indoors from next week.
"The government is working in partnership with local authorities and the measures are in place to help control the spread of COVID-19 variants and rapidly break its chains of transmission. "
Mr Keeble said regular twice-weekly testing was also something people should do to help curb virus spread.
He said:
"Even if you have received both vaccinations, you can still pick up and transmit the virus."
"If you receive a positive result from a rapid test remember to book a confirmatory PCR test via 119 or .Gov website. This also enables us to identify potential variants"