New Coronavirus Variant Confirmed in the UK

The UK Health Security Agency confirmed today the Delta variant sub-lineage (Delta AY.4.2) was designated a Variant Under Investigation (VUI) on October 20, 2021, and has been given the official name VUI-21OCT-01.

The designation was made on the basis that this sub-lineage has become increasingly common in the UK in recent months, and there is some early evidence that it may have an increased growth rate in the UK compared to the original SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus Delta variant.

The genome of VUI-21OCT-01 does not have many mutations compared to Delta.

In the last week, VUI-21OCT-01 accounted for approximately 6% of all Delta cases in all nine regions of England.

Dr. Jenny Harries, Chief Executive of the UK Health Security Agency, said in a press statement, "Viruses often mutate and at random, and it is not unexpected that new variants will continue to arise as the pandemic goes on. However, it should serve as objective evidence that this pandemic is not over."

While the evidence is still emerging, it does not appear this variant causes more severe disease or renders the vaccines currently deployed any less effective, says the Agency.