The UK should be “terribly concerned” about the impact the Indian mutation of coronavirus could have if it takes hold in the country, an expert has warned.
Professor Danny Altmann, a professor of immunology, said he thought India “ought” to be placed on the Government’s “red list” of hotel quarantine countries as the variant first discovered there could “scupper” Boris Johnson’s road map out of lockdown.
Despite the warning, Downing Street insisted the Prime Minister’s trip to India later this month will go ahead, although it will be drastically scaled down.
Public Health England (PHE) reported that 73 cases of the B.1.617 variant, which was first discovered in India, have been found in England, as well as four cases in Scotland.
Officials have currently designated it a “variant under investigation” (VUI) rather than a “variant of concern” (VOC), such as the Manaus (Brazil) or South African variants.
But Prof Altmann said he “suspected” the Indian…
