A couple in the United Kingdom, Elizabeth Kerr and Simon O'Brien decided to tie the knot in a COVID ward to find their happy ending against all odds.

UK couple gets married in COVID-19 ward | Hospital staff organised the wedding

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says that the new English variant of COVID-19 is much deadlier than what was earlier estimated and is may be associated with a higher degree of mortality.

Johnson says new variant may be associated with a higher degree of mortality

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says that the new English variant of COVID-19 is much deadlier than what was earlier estimated.

British PM Johnson says new UK variant is more deadly

The new mutant variant of the COVID-19 infection in Britain has overwhelmed the countries health infrastructure. Analysts have said that this is worst than the first wave of the pandemic. WION tell you how are hospitals in Britain are coping with the new mutant COVID-19 infection?

COVID-19 in Britain: 4000 patients put on breathing support

UK Prime Minister on Friday said that there was 'some evidence' that the new coronavirus variant in the UK was more transmissible and more deadly.

"It also now appears that there is some evidence that the new variant... may be associated with a higher degree of mortality," he said at a Downing Street news conference.

Chief government scientist Patrick Vallance said the new variant could be around 30 per cent more deadly, although he stressed that only sparse data was available.

He said that for a 60-year-old man, around 10 in 1,000 would be expected to die after catching the original strain.&nbsp;

But that rises to "13 or 14" for the new strain.

"You will see that across the different age groups as well, a similar sort of relative increase in the risk," he added.

Britain is currently experiencing third and worst wave of coronavirus pandemic. It is recording a record daily death toll that is bringing the total figure close to 100,000.

Another 1,401 people were announced on Friday to have died within 28 days of testing positive, bringing the total to 95,981.

More than 38,500 people were in hospital with Covid -- 78 per cent more than during the first peak last year.

On average, one in 55 people have got the virus in England, rising to one in 35 in London, said chief medical officer Chris Whitty.

Hospitals are still under the threat of being overwhelmed even as government races to vaccinate as many vulnerable people as possible. Vallance said there was "increasing evidence" that the AstraZeneca/Oxford and Pfizer vaccines being used in Britain were both effective against the new strain.

(With AFP inputs)

UK Prime Minister on Friday said that there was 'some evidence' that the new coronavirus variant in the UK was more transmissible and more deadly. "It also now appears that there is some evidence that the new variant.

UK Prime Minister on Friday said that there was 'some evidence' that the new coronavirus variant in the UK was more transmissible and more deadly. "It also now appears that there is some evidence that the new variant... may be associated with a higher degree of mortality," he said at a Downing Street news conference. Chief government scientist Patrick Vallance said the new variant could be around 30 per cent more deadly, although he stressed that only sparse data was available. He said that for a 60-year-old man, around 10 in 1,000 would be expected to die after catching the original strain. But that rises to "13 or 14" for the new strain. "You will see that across the different age groups as well, a similar sort of relative increase in the risk," he added. Britain is currently experiencing third and worst wave of coronavirus pandemic. It is recording a record daily death toll that is bringing the total figure close to 100,000. Another 1,401 people were announced on Friday to have died within 28 days of testing positive, bringing the total to 95,981. More than 38,500 people were in hospital with Covid -- 78 per cent more than during the first peak last year. On average, one in 55 people have got the virus in England, rising to one in 35 in London, said chief medical officer Chris Whitty. Hospitals are still under the threat of being overwhelmed even as government races to vaccinate as many vulnerable people as possible. Vallance said there was "increasing evidence" that the AstraZeneca/Oxford and Pfizer vaccines being used in Britain were both effective against the new strain. (With AFP inputs)

UK coronavirus strain can be more deadly: Boris Johnson

Imams across Britain are helping to dispel notions of danger surrounding COVID-19 vaccine. The religious leaders are reaching out to people through their Friday sermons and influentials standing within the community.

Qari Asim, chairman of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board (MINAB) which is leading a campaign to reassure its faithful, is among those publically advocating that the inoculations are compatible with Islamic practices.

"We are confident that the two vaccines that have been used in the UK, Oxford AstraZeneca and Pfizer, are permissible from an Islamic perspective," he told AFP.

"The hesitancy, the anxiety (and) concern is driven by misinformation, conspiracy theories, fake news and rumours." he added.

Britain is the hardest-hit country in Europe with 95,000 deaths due to the pandemic. A biggest-ever vaccination effort is underway to end cycles of lockdowns and restrictions.

However, a report from the scientific committee advising the government showed stronger mistrust of vaccines among ethnic minorities than the rest of the UK population.&nbsp;

It highlighted that 72 percent of Black survey respondents were unlikely or very unlikely to get the vaccine.&nbsp;

Among those from Pakistani or Bangladeshi backgrounds, the figure was 42 per cent.

Imams are particularly trying to dispel notion that the vaccines contain pork gelatin or alcohol. Pork and alcohol are banned in Islam. Falsehoods like vaccines being able to modify DNA are doing rounds.

Britain has an estimated 2.8 million Muslims

Asim said it was "legitimate" to question whether things were permissible under Islam but without paying attention to unfounded claims.

Misinformation around the coronavirus is all the more dangerous given several studies have shown that it can impact minorities disproportionately.&nbsp;

"These are precisely the communities we should be trying to target," said Nighat Arif, a general practitioner based in Chesham, near London.&nbsp;

When she received her vaccination, she posted a video in Urdu on social media aimed at the language's speakers living in Britain.

"I'm hoping that because they see someone who looks like them, who is a practising Muslim, wears a hijab, someone who is Asian who speaks their language, that's more relatable than something that's coming through from the government," she added.

Arif is still surprised by the refusal of certain patients to be inoculated, noting they will often get vaccinated to undertake the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia or to visit Pakistan or India.

She blames conspiracy theories spread online, which contribute to the science behind the process "being lost".

Imams across Britain are helping to dispel notions of danger surrounding COVID-19 vaccine. The religious leaders are reaching out to people through their Friday sermons and influentials standing within the community.

Imams across Britain are helping to dispel notions of danger surrounding COVID-19 vaccine. The religious leaders are reaching out to people through their Friday sermons and influentials standing within the community. Qari Asim, chairman of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board (MINAB) which is leading a campaign to reassure its faithful, is among those publically advocating that the inoculations are compatible with Islamic practices. "We are confident that the two vaccines that have been used in the UK, Oxford AstraZeneca and Pfizer, are permissible from an Islamic perspective," he told AFP. "The hesitancy, the anxiety (and) concern is driven by misinformation, conspiracy theories, fake news and rumours." he added. Britain is the hardest-hit country in Europe with 95,000 deaths due to the pandemic. A biggest-ever vaccination effort is underway to end cycles of lockdowns and restrictions. However, a report from the scientific committee advising the government showed stronger mistrust of vaccines among ethnic minorities than the rest of the UK population. It highlighted that 72 percent of Black survey respondents were unlikely or very unlikely to get the vaccine. Among those from Pakistani or Bangladeshi backgrounds, the figure was 42 per cent. Imams are particularly trying to dispel notion that the vaccines contain pork gelatin or alcohol. Pork and alcohol are banned in Islam. Falsehoods like vaccines being able to modify DNA are doing rounds. Britain has an estimated 2.8 million Muslims Asim said it was "legitimate" to question whether things were permissible under Islam but without paying attention to unfounded claims. Misinformation around the coronavirus is all the more dangerous given several studies have shown that it can impact minorities disproportionately. "These are precisely the communities we should be trying to target," said Nighat Arif, a general practitioner based in Chesham, near London. When she received her vaccination, she posted a video in Urdu on social media aimed at the language's speakers living in Britain. "I'm hoping that because they see someone who looks like them, who is a practising Muslim, wears a hijab, someone who is Asian who speaks their language, that's more relatable than something that's coming through from the government," she added. Arif is still surprised by the refusal of certain patients to be inoculated, noting they will often get vaccinated to undertake the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia or to visit Pakistan or India. She blames conspiracy theories spread online, which contribute to the science behind the process "being lost".

UK Imams work to combat coronavirus vaccine disinformation

We say 'UK Strain', 'Brazil Variant', 'South Africa Variant' - why then do we not say 'Wuhan Virus'? Most pandemics and epidemics have been named after its epicentre. Why should the Wuhan Virus be an exception? WION's Palki Sharma makes a case.

Gravitas: How the W.H.O. is shielding China

Dozens of trucks parked up at UK Parliament as shellfish companies protested against Boris Johnson's Brexit deal following issues exporting fish to the EU.

Your Story: UK Seafood trucks parked near Parliament to protest Red Tape

The United Kingdon government is grappling to control the third wave of Coronavirus and in an important announcement, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said that the vaccine will be offered to the entire adult population.

UK: All adult population to get vaccinated by end of September

Scientists at UK Lancaster University have developed a low-cost coronavirus vaccine that can be taken through the nose. The researchers at the university administer the Nasal spray vaccine in animal trials.

UK: Lancaster University researchers develop 'Nasal Spray' COVID vaccine

More people (3.5 million) have now received a Covid vaccination in the UK than have tested positive (3.3 million) for the virus.

England's Cathedrals turned into makeshit vaccination centres

The UK government plans to offer a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine to every adult by September as the nations health service battles the worst crisis in its 72-year-history.

'All adults to be vaccinated by September in UK', says Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab

The situation is extremely concerning in the UK, especially with a surge in coronavirus cases after identification of a new variant.

While the Boris Johnson-led government has been asking locals to stay indoors and has tried to keep the country under strict lockdown, the Chief Executive of the National Health Service (NHS) has revealed the situation might be much worse.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-cathedrals-converted-into-coronavirus-vaccination-centres-357269">UK: Cathedrals converted into coronavirus vaccination centres</a>

As per Simon Stevens, NHS Chief Executive, the pressure has been alarmingly increasing for the healthcare workers.&nbsp;

"The facts are very clear and I am not going to sugar-coat them. Hospitals are under extreme pressure and staff are under extreme pressure," he said.

He also admitted the situation became worse after the Christmas holidays. "Since Christmas Day, we have seen another 15,000 increase in the in-patients in hospitals across England. That’s the equivalent of filling 30 hospitals full of coronavirus patients," Stevens said.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/uk-invites-india-to-first-g7-summit-of-biden-era-to-be-held-in-june-357225">UK invites India to first G7 summit of Biden era to be held in June</a>

There have been more people having to retire in a hospital after testing positive for the deadly virus, than the last few months. Stevens claims that "every 30 seconds across England another patient is being admitted to hospital with coronavirus."

His statement has come a few days after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said nearly 37,000 people are already admitted in hospitals and the figures are expected to increase.

Meanwhile, the UK government has announced plans of vaccinating at least two million people a week, with priority being offered to the elderly, clinically vulnerable and frontline health and social care workers.

The UK government has also travellers&nbsp;to quarantine themselves and show a negative COVID-19 test before entering the country. "This means that if you come to this country you must have proof of a negative Covid virus test that you have taken in the 72 hours before leaving," Boris Johnson said.

The situation is extremely concerning in the UK, especially with a surge in coronavirus cases after identification of a new variant. While the Boris Johnson-led government has been asking locals to stay indoors and has tried to keep the country under strict lockdown, the Chief Executive of the National Health Service (NHS) has revealed the situation might be much worse.

The situation is extremely concerning in the UK, especially with a surge in coronavirus cases after identification of a new variant. While the Boris Johnson-led government has been asking locals to stay indoors and has tried to keep the country under strict lockdown, the Chief Executive of the National Health Service (NHS) has revealed the situation might be much worse. Also read| UK: Cathedrals converted into coronavirus vaccination centres As per Simon Stevens, NHS Chief Executive, the pressure has been alarmingly increasing for the healthcare workers. "The facts are very clear and I am not going to sugar-coat them. Hospitals are under extreme pressure and staff are under extreme pressure," he said. He also admitted the situation became worse after the Christmas holidays. "Since Christmas Day, we have seen another 15,000 increase in the in-patients in hospitals across England. That’s the equivalent of filling 30 hospitals full of coronavirus patients," Stevens said. Also read| UK invites India to first G7 summit of Biden era to be held in June There have been more people having to retire in a hospital after testing positive for the deadly virus, than the last few months. Stevens claims that "every 30 seconds across England another patient is being admitted to hospital with coronavirus." His statement has come a few days after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said nearly 37,000 people are already admitted in hospitals and the figures are expected to increase. Meanwhile, the UK government has announced plans of vaccinating at least two million people a week, with priority being offered to the elderly, clinically vulnerable and frontline health and social care workers. The UK government has also travellers to quarantine themselves and show a negative COVID-19 test before entering the country. "This means that if you come to this country you must have proof of a negative Covid virus test that you have taken in the 72 hours before leaving," Boris Johnson said.

'One coronavirus patient getting admitted in hospitals every 30 seconds': NHS

The United Kingdom has invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the G7 Summit as a guest. The G7 Summit is scheduled to be held in Cornwall in June 2021.

UK invites Indian PM Modi to attend G7 summit

As UK aims to boost coronavirus vaccine rollout, cathedrals across the region have been converted into makeshift COVID vaccination centres for people aged 70 and more along with other vulnerable groups. People queuing at cathedrals in Salisbury and Blackburn were able to enjoy soothing organ music as they marvelled at the grand buildings.

UK Government is aiming to vaccinate 2 million people a week. This will enable it to vaccinate those in four highest risk tiers- the elderly, clinically vulnerable and frontline health and social care workers

Dean of Blackburn Peter Howell-Jones praised the role the buildings will play in offering vaccinations to the community saying, ''with a space this sort of size we should be able to see thousands of people vaccinated each week, and it feels really great to be part of that process."

Government data showed on Saturday (January 16) that almost 3.6 million people had received one dose of vaccine, the most in Europe and an increase of 324,000 on the day before.

The government has already said that it plans to quarantine whoever arrives in UK in addition to a compulsory COVID-19 negative certificate. These measures come into effect on Monday.

"This means that if you come to this country you must have proof of a negative Covid virus test that you have taken in the 72 hours before leaving," &nbsp;said UK PM Boris Johnson on Friday.

The UK had previously made an exception for travellers from certain countries and territories with low Covid caseloads, allowing them to arrive freely through "corridors", without showing negative virus tests or quarantining afterwards.

These included Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Singapore as well as Bermuda and Gibraltar.

(With AFP inputs)

As UK aims to boost coronavirus vaccine rollout, cathedrals across the region have been converted into makeshift COVID vaccination centres for people aged 70 and more along with other vulnerable groups.

As UK aims to boost coronavirus vaccine rollout, cathedrals across the region have been converted into makeshift COVID vaccination centres for people aged 70 and more along with other vulnerable groups. People queuing at cathedrals in Salisbury and Blackburn were able to enjoy soothing organ music as they marvelled at the grand buildings. UK Government is aiming to vaccinate 2 million people a week. This will enable it to vaccinate those in four highest risk tiers- the elderly, clinically vulnerable and frontline health and social care workers Dean of Blackburn Peter Howell-Jones praised the role the buildings will play in offering vaccinations to the community saying, ''with a space this sort of size we should be able to see thousands of people vaccinated each week, and it feels really great to be part of that process." Government data showed on Saturday (January 16) that almost 3.6 million people had received one dose of vaccine, the most in Europe and an increase of 324,000 on the day before. The government has already said that it plans to quarantine whoever arrives in UK in addition to a compulsory COVID-19 negative certificate. These measures come into effect on Monday. "This means that if you come to this country you must have proof of a negative Covid virus test that you have taken in the 72 hours before leaving," said UK PM Boris Johnson on Friday. The UK had previously made an exception for travellers from certain countries and territories with low Covid caseloads, allowing them to arrive freely through "corridors", without showing negative virus tests or quarantining afterwards. These included Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Singapore as well as Bermuda and Gibraltar. (With AFP inputs)

UK: Cathedrals converted into coronavirus vaccination centres

All at once, the<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus"> coronavirus</a> seemed to change.

For months, Dr. Steven Kemp, an infectious disease expert, had been scanning a global library of coronavirus genomes. He was studying how the virus had mutated in the lungs of a patient struggling to shake a raging infection in a nearby Cambridge hospital, and he wanted to know if those changes would turn up in other people.

Then, in late November, Kemp made a startling match: Some of the same mutations detected in the patient, along with other changes, were appearing again and again in newly infected people, mostly in Britain.

Worse, the changes were concentrated in the spike protein the virus uses to latch onto human cells, suggesting that a virus already wreaking havoc around the world was evolving in a way that could make it even more contagious.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/we-may-never-find-patient-zero-who-urges-countries-to-cooperate-357112" hreflang="en">'We may never find patient zero': WHO urges countries to cooperate</a>

“There’s a load of mutations that occur together at the same frequency,” he wrote on Dec. 2 to Dr. Ravindra Gupta, a Cambridge virologist. Listing the most troubling changes, he added, “ALL of these sequences have the following spike mutants.”

The two researchers did not yet know it, but they had found a new, highly contagious coronavirus variant that has since stampeded across Britain, shaken scientists’ understanding of the virus and threatened to set back the global recovery from the pandemic.

Word raced through a consortium of British disease scientists, longtime torchbearers in genomics who had helped track the Ebola and Zika epidemics. They gathered on Slack and video calls, comparing notes as they chased down clues — among them, a tip from scientists in South Africa about yet another new variant there. Still others have since emerged in Brazil.

For nearly a year, scientists had observed only incremental changes in the coronavirus and expected more of the same. The new variants forced them to change their thinking, portending a new phase in the pandemic in which the virus could evolve enough in time to undermine vaccines’ effectiveness.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/a-second-economic-crisis-for-biden-but-a-different-first-response-357097" hreflang="en">A second economic crisis for Biden, but a different first response</a>

British lawmakers announced the news Dec. 14, warning that the variant was spreading faster than previous ones.

But the road to its discovery was laid down to little acclaim in March, when Britain decided to begin sequencing coronavirus samples en masse. The country produces half the world’s inventory of coronavirus genomes, providing an unparalleled view of how the virus changes and how people brought it into Britain last year and are now carrying the variant out.

For Britain, the discovery came too late to prevent a punishing new wave of COVID-19 that has put its hospitals on the brink of having to deny lifesaving care. The variant was already spreading fast, abetted by the government’s lax restrictions during the fall and early winter.

But Britain sounded an alarm for the world, allowing countries to close their borders and start frantically searching for a variant they otherwise might not have noticed for months. British scientists quickly published studies that convinced skeptics of its potency.

“The U.K.’s got many things wrong about this pandemic — mainly, not learning lessons about the importance of reacting early,” said Neil Ferguson, a public health researcher and government adviser. “But the U.K. has a fairly unparalleled surveillance system for COVID. We can monitor very small changes in the virus.”

Labs around Britain, after testing swabs for the virus, send the leftover material in refrigerated vans to the Wellcome Sanger Institute, a genomics lab, where they are stored in cavernous freezers.

There, robots separate out the positive samples and deposit them into the wells of tiny, muffin-tinlike plates. Machines then map their genomes, said Jeffrey Barrett, who directs the sequencing project, producing 30,000 letter-long genetic codes that are uploaded to an internet library. The task of making sense of mutations falls to biologists like Andrew Rambaut, a professor in Edinburgh, who determine where they fit on the evolutionary tree.

The effort has generated more than 165,000 sequences in Britain. The United States, with five times as many people, has sequenced about 74,000 genomes. Germany has sequenced about 3,400, less than half of what Britain uploaded to the global database Thursday alone.

“It has totally revolutionized how we’re dealing with the virus,” said Judith Breuer, a virologist at University College London.

The campaign took shape March 4, before 100 coronavirus infections had been found in Britain, when a Cambridge microbiologist, Sharon Peacock, sent a flurry of emails to British genomicists, asking each, “Can you call me, please?”

Within two weeks, their newly formed consortium had secured 20 million British pounds, about $27 million, in government funding.

“It’s a close community here, and in March it effectively put aside any rivalries, any egos, and just said, ‘We can play a critical role in managing the pandemic,’” said Thomas Connor, a scientist in Wales who built a platform for collating and analyzing genomes.

Among the samples sequenced last summer were those of a man in his 70s with lymphoma, admitted in May to a Cambridge hospital for treatment of COVID-19. Gupta, a part-time clinician, began treating the patient, whose anti-cancer drugs had depleted his immune response. Sequestered in an isolation room, the patient struggled to breathe. Even after several rounds of treatment, including plasma with antibodies from recovered patients, the virus did not disappear.

Instead, it mutated. Britain’s sequencing efforts opened a window into those changes: Over 101 days in the hospital, the viral particles coursing through the man’s lungs were sequenced 23 times, a treasure trove of clues.

The patient died in August, seemingly without having infected anyone else. But the mutations in his virus eventually supplied scientists with a leading theory for how the British variant originated: by eluding the immune defenses of someone like the Cambridge patient who had a weakened immune system and a long-lasting infection.

“We call this the gold-standard patient for assessing different viral populations in a host,” Kemp said.

One mutation the patient had, labeled 69-70del, changes the shape of the spike protein. Another, N501Y, can help the protein bind more tightly to human cells.

Kemp searched for those changes every few days in the global database, finding scarce reason to worry. Then, in late November, abruptly, he noticed many genomes, mostly from Britain, that had those mutations and a host of others that could change how the virus entered human cells. He summoned Gupta to his computer for a look.

Eventually, British scientists detected 23 mutations that distinguished these genomes from the earliest known version in Wuhan, China — enough to be a considered a new variant, since labeled B117. On an evolutionary tree that Kemp made, it stood apart like a lone, spindly branch.

“I was not expecting anything like this,” Gupta said. “Back at the end of November, it was all about vaccine hope, and there was no whiff of new variants coming along.”

The number of mutations on the spike protein particularly rattled him, he said, calling it “a ‘Wow’ moment.”

At the same time, England’s public health experts were puzzling over an unexplained outbreak of coronavirus cases. A lockdown had tempered the virus across England, but not in Kent, a county of London commuters and fruit orchards in the southeast. Cases were emerging in schools. One in 328 residents was infected.

Only on Dec. 8, at their regular meeting with genomicists, did the public health officials conclude that the cause was likely a new variant. Looking back through their databases, scientists discovered that it had first been collected in September and had spread as people returned to offices and patronized restaurants and pubs at the government’s urging.

Researchers eventually became persuaded that the variant was, in fact, more transmissible — roughly 30% to 50% more — but only after they had assembled a patchwork of less conclusive clues.

“There’s no one totally unambiguous line of evidence; science only generates that kind of surety over longer time periods,” said Oliver Pybus, an Oxford evolutionary biologist. “It was more a case of different, independent lines of evidence coming together.”

After scientists presented their conclusion Dec. 11 to a government advisory body, Ferguson, the public health researcher, became concerned that it would “almost certainly require us to go into another lockdown.” He texted Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s chief scientific adviser, warning about the variant.

By Dec. 22, government scientists said that strict measures, including school closures, were needed to suppress the variant. But Johnson allowed people in parts of England to gather on Christmas and did not impose an England-wide lockdown until Jan. 4.

The variant is now estimated to account for more than 80% of positive cases in London and at least one-quarter of infections elsewhere in England and has turned up in more than 50 countries. U.S. health officials warned Friday that the British variant could be the dominant source of infection in the United States by March.

In recent days, Gupta and Kemp have begun using blood serum from vaccinated people to determine if the variant may weaken the potency of the vaccines.

“The world was being told for a long time that mutations don’t really matter from the coronavirus,” Gupta said. “But we found that mutations did come, and they did have an impact on the virus’s fitness.”

All at once, the coronavirus seemed to change. For months, Dr. Steven Kemp, an infectious disease expert, had been scanning a global library of coronavirus genomes.

All at once, the coronavirus seemed to change. For months, Dr. Steven Kemp, an infectious disease expert, had been scanning a global library of coronavirus genomes. He was studying how the virus had mutated in the lungs of a patient struggling to shake a raging infection in a nearby Cambridge hospital, and he wanted to know if those changes would turn up in other people. Then, in late November, Kemp made a startling match: Some of the same mutations detected in the patient, along with other changes, were appearing again and again in newly infected people, mostly in Britain. Worse, the changes were concentrated in the spike protein the virus uses to latch onto human cells, suggesting that a virus already wreaking havoc around the world was evolving in a way that could make it even more contagious. Also read| 'We may never find patient zero': WHO urges countries to cooperate “There’s a load of mutations that occur together at the same frequency,” he wrote on Dec. 2 to Dr. Ravindra Gupta, a Cambridge virologist. Listing the most troubling changes, he added, “ALL of these sequences have the following spike mutants.” The two researchers did not yet know it, but they had found a new, highly contagious coronavirus variant that has since stampeded across Britain, shaken scientists’ understanding of the virus and threatened to set back the global recovery from the pandemic. Word raced through a consortium of British disease scientists, longtime torchbearers in genomics who had helped track the Ebola and Zika epidemics. They gathered on Slack and video calls, comparing notes as they chased down clues — among them, a tip from scientists in South Africa about yet another new variant there. Still others have since emerged in Brazil. For nearly a year, scientists had observed only incremental changes in the coronavirus and expected more of the same. The new variants forced them to change their thinking, portending a new phase in the pandemic in which the virus could evolve enough in time to undermine vaccines’ effectiveness. Also read| A second economic crisis for Biden, but a different first response British lawmakers announced the news Dec. 14, warning that the variant was spreading faster than previous ones. But the road to its discovery was laid down to little acclaim in March, when Britain decided to begin sequencing coronavirus samples en masse. The country produces half the world’s inventory of coronavirus genomes, providing an unparalleled view of how the virus changes and how people brought it into Britain last year and are now carrying the variant out. For Britain, the discovery came too late to prevent a punishing new wave of COVID-19 that has put its hospitals on the brink of having to deny lifesaving care. The variant was already spreading fast, abetted by the government’s lax restrictions during the fall and early winter. But Britain sounded an alarm for the world, allowing countries to close their borders and start frantically searching for a variant they otherwise might not have noticed for months. British scientists quickly published studies that convinced skeptics of its potency. “The U.K.’s got many things wrong about this pandemic — mainly, not learning lessons about the importance of reacting early,” said Neil Ferguson, a public health researcher and government adviser. “But the U.K. has a fairly unparalleled surveillance system for COVID. We can monitor very small changes in the virus.” Labs around Britain, after testing swabs for the virus, send the leftover material in refrigerated vans to the Wellcome Sanger Institute, a genomics lab, where they are stored in cavernous freezers. There, robots separate out the positive samples and deposit them into the wells of tiny, muffin-tinlike plates. Machines then map their genomes, said Jeffrey Barrett, who directs the sequencing project, producing 30,000 letter-long genetic codes that are uploaded to an internet library. The task of making sense of mutations falls to biologists like Andrew Rambaut, a professor in Edinburgh, who determine where they fit on the evolutionary tree. The effort has generated more than 165,000 sequences in Britain. The United States, with five times as many people, has sequenced about 74,000 genomes. Germany has sequenced about 3,400, less than half of what Britain uploaded to the global database Thursday alone. “It has totally revolutionized how we’re dealing with the virus,” said Judith Breuer, a virologist at University College London. The campaign took shape March 4, before 100 coronavirus infections had been found in Britain, when a Cambridge microbiologist, Sharon Peacock, sent a flurry of emails to British genomicists, asking each, “Can you call me, please?” Within two weeks, their newly formed consortium had secured 20 million British pounds, about $27 million, in government funding. “It’s a close community here, and in March it effectively put aside any rivalries, any egos, and just said, ‘We can play a critical role in managing the pandemic,’” said Thomas Connor, a scientist in Wales who built a platform for collating and analyzing genomes. Among the samples sequenced last summer were those of a man in his 70s with lymphoma, admitted in May to a Cambridge hospital for treatment of COVID-19. Gupta, a part-time clinician, began treating the patient, whose anti-cancer drugs had depleted his immune response. Sequestered in an isolation room, the patient struggled to breathe. Even after several rounds of treatment, including plasma with antibodies from recovered patients, the virus did not disappear. Instead, it mutated. Britain’s sequencing efforts opened a window into those changes: Over 101 days in the hospital, the viral particles coursing through the man’s lungs were sequenced 23 times, a treasure trove of clues. The patient died in August, seemingly without having infected anyone else. But the mutations in his virus eventually supplied scientists with a leading theory for how the British variant originated: by eluding the immune defenses of someone like the Cambridge patient who had a weakened immune system and a long-lasting infection. “We call this the gold-standard patient for assessing different viral populations in a host,” Kemp said. One mutation the patient had, labeled 69-70del, changes the shape of the spike protein. Another, N501Y, can help the protein bind more tightly to human cells. Kemp searched for those changes every few days in the global database, finding scarce reason to worry. Then, in late November, abruptly, he noticed many genomes, mostly from Britain, that had those mutations and a host of others that could change how the virus entered human cells. He summoned Gupta to his computer for a look. Eventually, British scientists detected 23 mutations that distinguished these genomes from the earliest known version in Wuhan, China — enough to be a considered a new variant, since labeled B117. On an evolutionary tree that Kemp made, it stood apart like a lone, spindly branch. “I was not expecting anything like this,” Gupta said. “Back at the end of November, it was all about vaccine hope, and there was no whiff of new variants coming along.” The number of mutations on the spike protein particularly rattled him, he said, calling it “a ‘Wow’ moment.” At the same time, England’s public health experts were puzzling over an unexplained outbreak of coronavirus cases. A lockdown had tempered the virus across England, but not in Kent, a county of London commuters and fruit orchards in the southeast. Cases were emerging in schools. One in 328 residents was infected. Only on Dec. 8, at their regular meeting with genomicists, did the public health officials conclude that the cause was likely a new variant. Looking back through their databases, scientists discovered that it had first been collected in September and had spread as people returned to offices and patronized restaurants and pubs at the government’s urging. Researchers eventually became persuaded that the variant was, in fact, more transmissible — roughly 30% to 50% more — but only after they had assembled a patchwork of less conclusive clues. “There’s no one totally unambiguous line of evidence; science only generates that kind of surety over longer time periods,” said Oliver Pybus, an Oxford evolutionary biologist. “It was more a case of different, independent lines of evidence coming together.” After scientists presented their conclusion Dec. 11 to a government advisory body, Ferguson, the public health researcher, became concerned that it would “almost certainly require us to go into another lockdown.” He texted Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s chief scientific adviser, warning about the variant. By Dec. 22, government scientists said that strict measures, including school closures, were needed to suppress the variant. But Johnson allowed people in parts of England to gather on Christmas and did not impose an England-wide lockdown until Jan. 4. The variant is now estimated to account for more than 80% of positive cases in London and at least one-quarter of infections elsewhere in England and has turned up in more than 50 countries. U.S. health officials warned Friday that the British variant could be the dominant source of infection in the United States by March. In recent days, Gupta and Kemp have begun using blood serum from vaccinated people to determine if the variant may weaken the potency of the vaccines. “The world was being told for a long time that mutations don’t really matter from the coronavirus,” Gupta said. “But we found that mutations did come, and they did have an impact on the virus’s fitness.”

How British scientists found the more infectious coronavirus variant

UK's Home Secretary Priti Patel is under fire after 150,000 arrest records were deleted from the police database. Reports say 150,000 fingerprints, DNA and arrest records have been lost. How did this happen?

Gravitas: U.K. loses 150,000 arrest records

Domestic abuse has increased at an alarming rate all over the world in the lockdown during the pandemic year. The government of the UK has taken it upon themselves to provide help to victims of abuse by launching a special campaign.

As the country entered another lockdown, the UK ministers have launched a national scheme where abuse victims can visit any local pharmacy and ask for "Ani". Once the customer uses the code word, the staff present at the pharmacies will be alerted.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/global-rise-in-domestic-violence-cases-as-covid-19-lockdown-turns-into-captivity-for-many-women-290213">Global rise in domestic violence cases as Covid-19 lockdown turns into captivity for many women</a>

As soon as the customer/victim asks for "Ani", he/she will be given a chance to go to a private space to talk on an urgent basis and will then be given opportunities to reach out for help to the police and other&nbsp;domestic abuse helplines.

The code word "Ani" stands for "action needed immediately". As of now, the scheme has been brought into effect with immediate effect in&nbsp;2,300 Boots stores and in 255 independent pharmacies. More local pharmacies have been urged to sign up for this nation-wide run scheme.

Also read|<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/france-to-use-gps-tags-to-track-domestic-violence-abusers-experts-unsure-about-effectiveness-338495">&nbsp;France to use GPS tags to track domestic violence abusers. Experts unsure about effectiveness</a>

While this is a government-run scheme, British ministers are individually, too, urging local businesses and employers to provide better safeguarding and support to employees they suspect are being subjected to domestic or sexual abuse at home amid another lockdown.

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No one should have to suffer domestic abuse in silence. From experience, I know that bosses &amp; colleagues can play a crucial role helping survivors access support. 
 
I've written to employers across the UK setting out simple steps they can take to do more👇<a href="https://t.co/U5gPqQ4N5a">https://t.co/U5gPqQ4N5a</a>
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Paul Scully, a Conservative MP, has written an open letter to employers urging the same. "As you may be aware, the first lockdown in March last year precipitated a surge in calls for domestic abuse services, with Refuge reporting an 80% increase in calls to their domestic abuse hotline," his letter read. "Troubling recent reports seem to indicate that this trend has continued in the current lockdown. In light of this, I would like to urge you to look at what more your organisation can do to help survivors of domestic abuse."

Scully also listed out various points for employers through which they can help their employees. The points included steps such as raising awareness about domestic abuse, promoting inclusiveness, extending support and free support etc.

Domestic abuse has increased at an alarming rate all over the world in the lockdown during the pandemic year. The government of the UK has taken it upon themselves to provide help to victims of abuse by launching a special campaign.

Domestic abuse has increased at an alarming rate all over the world in the lockdown during the pandemic year. The government of the UK has taken it upon themselves to provide help to victims of abuse by launching a special campaign. As the country entered another lockdown, the UK ministers have launched a national scheme where abuse victims can visit any local pharmacy and ask for "Ani". Once the customer uses the code word, the staff present at the pharmacies will be alerted. Also read| Global rise in domestic violence cases as Covid-19 lockdown turns into captivity for many women As soon as the customer/victim asks for "Ani", he/she will be given a chance to go to a private space to talk on an urgent basis and will then be given opportunities to reach out for help to the police and other domestic abuse helplines. The code word "Ani" stands for "action needed immediately". As of now, the scheme has been brought into effect with immediate effect in 2,300 Boots stores and in 255 independent pharmacies. More local pharmacies have been urged to sign up for this nation-wide run scheme. Also read| France to use GPS tags to track domestic violence abusers. Experts unsure about effectiveness While this is a government-run scheme, British ministers are individually, too, urging local businesses and employers to provide better safeguarding and support to employees they suspect are being subjected to domestic or sexual abuse at home amid another lockdown. No one should have to suffer domestic abuse in silence. From experience, I know that bosses & colleagues can play a crucial role helping survivors access support. I've written to employers across the UK setting out simple steps they can take to do more👇https://t.co/U5gPqQ4N5a — Paul Scully MP (@scullyp) January 14, 2021 × Paul Scully, a Conservative MP, has written an open letter to employers urging the same. "As you may be aware, the first lockdown in March last year precipitated a surge in calls for domestic abuse services, with Refuge reporting an 80% increase in calls to their domestic abuse hotline," his letter read. "Troubling recent reports seem to indicate that this trend has continued in the current lockdown. In light of this, I would like to urge you to look at what more your organisation can do to help survivors of domestic abuse." Scully also listed out various points for employers through which they can help their employees. The points included steps such as raising awareness about domestic abuse, promoting inclusiveness, extending support and free support etc.

Ask for Ani: UK provides code word for domestic abuse survivors

The United Kingdom is banning travel from the whole of South America and Portugal amid concerns over a new variant of the coronavirus in Brazil.

UK bans travel from South America over Brazil variant fears

Johnson also said tougher restrictions brought in last week were starting to have an effect on the spread of COVID in some parts of the country

UK PM Boris Johnson pledges to ramp up COVID vaccination rollout

Britain accused China of human rights violations and abuse against its Uighur minority and announced new rules to ban imports of goods suspected of being made using forced labour.

UK condemn Chinese abuse against Uighur minority

Speaking at the government's daily coronavirus briefing, Patel said: 'A minority of people are putting the health of the nation at risk by not following the rules.'

UK Covid-19: 'Rules are very clear and tough enough', says Home Sec Priti Patel

Britain will introduce new rules for companies to try to prevent goods linked to China`s Xinjiang region entering the supply chain, foreign minister Dominic Raab said on Tuesday, toughening London`s response to allegations of forced labour. 
 
Addressing parliament, Raab said there was harrowing evidence of forced labour among Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang after the United Nations estimated at least 1 million of the minority among others were held in an internment camp. 
 
Beijing denies the charges. 
 
Raab said Britain wanted to make sure it was free from any products that had links with Xinjiang, where he cited widespread reports of internment camps housing more than 1 million Uighurs, forced labour and the forced sterilisation of Uighur women. 
 
"We must do more and we will," he said. 
 
"Xinjiang`s position in the international supply chain network means that there is a real risk of businesses and public bodies around the world, whether it`s inadvertently or otherwise, sourcing from suppliers which are complicit in the use of forced labour." 
 
It is not clear how many products connected to Xinjiang enter the supply chain in Britain. 
 
Britain`s stance marks a further deteriorataion in its relationship with China just five years after London hailed the start a "golden era" in ties and President Xi Jinping was feted in a state visit to the capital which included a dinner hosted by Queen Elizabeth. 
 
Since then, Britain has criticised China over Hong Kong and ordered the removal of Huawei equipment from its 5G network. 
 
Raab said Britain would check sourcing more thoroughly and toughen the Modern Slavery Act to include fines. It would also bar from government contracts any companies which do not comply to procurement rules, and launch a Xinjiang-specific review of export controls. 
 
"This package put together will help make sure that no British organisations, government or private sector, deliberately or inadvertently are profiting from, or contributing to, human rights violations against the Uighurs or other minorities in Xinjiang," he said. 
 
After Britain finally left the European Union at the end of last year, Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to forge an independent role for Britain in foreign affairs, and the move was touted as London leading the way. 
 
But the government has so far resisted the calls of some in the ruling Conservative Party to introduce Magnitsky-style sanctions, with Raab saying he was keeping the possibility in reserve. 
 
Magnitsky-style sanctions target individuals accused of committing human rights violations and are named after Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who was arrested in 2008 after alleging that Russian officials were involved in large-scale fraud. He died in a Moscow prison in 2009. 
 
Some opposition lawmakers criticised the government for not going far enough and questioned what kind of impact the new measures would have. 
 
Raab said Britain still wanted a positive and constructive relationship with China "but we won`t sacrifice our values or our security".

Britain will introduce new rules for companies to try to prevent goods linked to China`s Xinjiang region entering the supply chain, foreign minister Dominic Raab said on Tuesday, toughening London`s response to allegations of forced labour.

Britain will introduce new rules for companies to try to prevent goods linked to China`s Xinjiang region entering the supply chain, foreign minister Dominic Raab said on Tuesday, toughening London`s response to allegations of forced labour. Addressing parliament, Raab said there was harrowing evidence of forced labour among Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang after the United Nations estimated at least 1 million of the minority among others were held in an internment camp. Beijing denies the charges. Raab said Britain wanted to make sure it was free from any products that had links with Xinjiang, where he cited widespread reports of internment camps housing more than 1 million Uighurs, forced labour and the forced sterilisation of Uighur women. "We must do more and we will," he said. "Xinjiang`s position in the international supply chain network means that there is a real risk of businesses and public bodies around the world, whether it`s inadvertently or otherwise, sourcing from suppliers which are complicit in the use of forced labour." It is not clear how many products connected to Xinjiang enter the supply chain in Britain. Britain`s stance marks a further deteriorataion in its relationship with China just five years after London hailed the start a "golden era" in ties and President Xi Jinping was feted in a state visit to the capital which included a dinner hosted by Queen Elizabeth. Since then, Britain has criticised China over Hong Kong and ordered the removal of Huawei equipment from its 5G network. Raab said Britain would check sourcing more thoroughly and toughen the Modern Slavery Act to include fines. It would also bar from government contracts any companies which do not comply to procurement rules, and launch a Xinjiang-specific review of export controls. "This package put together will help make sure that no British organisations, government or private sector, deliberately or inadvertently are profiting from, or contributing to, human rights violations against the Uighurs or other minorities in Xinjiang," he said. After Britain finally left the European Union at the end of last year, Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to forge an independent role for Britain in foreign affairs, and the move was touted as London leading the way. But the government has so far resisted the calls of some in the ruling Conservative Party to introduce Magnitsky-style sanctions, with Raab saying he was keeping the possibility in reserve. Magnitsky-style sanctions target individuals accused of committing human rights violations and are named after Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who was arrested in 2008 after alleging that Russian officials were involved in large-scale fraud. He died in a Moscow prison in 2009. Some opposition lawmakers criticised the government for not going far enough and questioned what kind of impact the new measures would have. Raab said Britain still wanted a positive and constructive relationship with China "but we won`t sacrifice our values or our security".

Toughening stance on China's Xinjiang, Britain introduces new company rules

Tesco, Asda and Waitrose will not let shoppers into their stores if they are not wearing a face covering, the British supermarket groups said on Tuesday, joining rivals Sainsbury`s and Morrisons which made the policy change a day earlier. 
 
With COVID-19 infection numbers rising sharply, the UK government has expressed concern about the spread of the virus in supermarkets, with some people breaching rules by not wearing masks while shopping. 
 
Non-essential retail, restaurants and bars are shut across Britain, leading to a high level of demand for supermarkets and other food stores. 
 
"To protect our customers and colleagues, we won’t let anyone into our stores who is not wearing a face covering, unless they are exempt in line with government guidance," market leader Tesco said in a statement. 
 
"Our colleagues are working hard in difficult circumstances to make sure everyone can get what they need, and we’d ask everyone to please be kind, patient and respectful as we all work to keep each other safe." 
 
Tesco said it was also asking customers to shop alone, unless they are a carer or with children. 
 
It has also put in additional security in stores to manage the change in stance. 
 
Asda issued a similar statement. It said if customers had forgotten a face covering, it would continue to offer them one free of charge. 
 
"But should a customer refuse to wear a covering without a valid medical reason and be in any way challenging to our colleagues about doing so - our security colleagues will refuse their entry," it said. 
 
The John Lewis Partnership also said face coverings would be mandatory at its Waitrose supermarkets. 
 
The British Retail Consortium, which represents more than 170 major retailers including the big supermarket groups, said on Monday it was the police`s responsibility to enforce face coverings and called for their support.

Tesco, Asda and Waitrose will not let shoppers into their stores if they are not wearing a face covering, the British supermarket groups said on Tuesday, joining rivals Sainsbury`s and Morrisons which made the policy change a day earlier.

Tesco, Asda and Waitrose will not let shoppers into their stores if they are not wearing a face covering, the British supermarket groups said on Tuesday, joining rivals Sainsbury`s and Morrisons which made the policy change a day earlier. With COVID-19 infection numbers rising sharply, the UK government has expressed concern about the spread of the virus in supermarkets, with some people breaching rules by not wearing masks while shopping. Non-essential retail, restaurants and bars are shut across Britain, leading to a high level of demand for supermarkets and other food stores. "To protect our customers and colleagues, we won’t let anyone into our stores who is not wearing a face covering, unless they are exempt in line with government guidance," market leader Tesco said in a statement. "Our colleagues are working hard in difficult circumstances to make sure everyone can get what they need, and we’d ask everyone to please be kind, patient and respectful as we all work to keep each other safe." Tesco said it was also asking customers to shop alone, unless they are a carer or with children. It has also put in additional security in stores to manage the change in stance. Asda issued a similar statement. It said if customers had forgotten a face covering, it would continue to offer them one free of charge. "But should a customer refuse to wear a covering without a valid medical reason and be in any way challenging to our colleagues about doing so - our security colleagues will refuse their entry," it said. The John Lewis Partnership also said face coverings would be mandatory at its Waitrose supermarkets. The British Retail Consortium, which represents more than 170 major retailers including the big supermarket groups, said on Monday it was the police`s responsibility to enforce face coverings and called for their support.

No mask, no shop - UK supermarkets insist on face coverings

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that the country is in a race against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines as COVID-19 related deaths continue to rise and hospitals run out of oxygen.

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British airline EasyJet has secured a new five-year loan facility of $1.87 billion, it is backed by a partial guarantee from the UK.

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United Kingdom has become the epicentre of Europe's COVID-19 outbreak once again. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government is currently facing immense criticism and anger from the people over its handling of the pandemic.

COVID-19: UK urges citizens to obey rules as deaths surpass 81,000

Boris Johnson under fire as UK again faces onslaught of COVID-19

Along with the foreign minister of UK, Canada and Australia express serious concern over the arrest of prominent pro democracy leaders and activists in Hong Kong.

World Leaders criticise HK's mass arrest by issuing joint statement

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip have received COVID-19 vaccinations on Saturday.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip receives COVID-19 vaccinations

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