Public Health England say they are not investigating a new Covid variant in the North East

Reports have suggested that Public Health officials are investigating a new Covid-19 variant which is said to have emerged in the North East.
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However health officials have denied these reports on Friday, July 9, highlighting that they are in fact not investigating any new variant in the North East of England.

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Public Health England (PHE) have reminded members of the public that the virus will continue to evolve as it spreads across the world however officials will continue to monitor the progress of the virus.

Public Health England have confirmed that they are not investigating a new Covid variant which had been reported to have emerged in the North East.Public Health England have confirmed that they are not investigating a new Covid variant which had been reported to have emerged in the North East.
Public Health England have confirmed that they are not investigating a new Covid variant which had been reported to have emerged in the North East.

A spokesperson for Public Health England commented: “PHE is not investigating any new variant in the North East.

“The virus will continue to naturally evolve as it spreads globally, but the UK will continue to use its excellent genomics, epidemiology and virology capacity to monitor all variants to ensure that public health interventions remain effective and proportionate.”

It comes as the North East is the worst Covid-19 case rate in England, with a rate of 662 cases per 100,000 people.

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South Tyneside has the worst case rate for the whole of the UK, with 935.9 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days leading up to July 4.

Sunderland has the fifth highest case rate for England, with 2,075 positive cases recorded in the seven days up to July 4, resulting in a rate of 747.2 cases per 100,000 people.

You can find out more information on Covid variants by clicking here.

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