People crowd the Luz station in Sao Paulo, Brazil last week. From Friday none will be able to fly into the UK due to fears over the Brazilian variant EPA
People crowd the Luz station in Sao Paulo, Brazil last week. From Friday none will be able to fly into the UK due to fears over the Brazilian variant EPA
People crowd the Luz station in Sao Paulo, Brazil last week. From Friday none will be able to fly into the UK due to fears over the Brazilian variant EPA
People crowd the Luz station in Sao Paulo, Brazil last week. From Friday none will be able to fly into the UK due to fears over the Brazilian variant EPA

E484K variant: UK bans arrivals from Portugal and South America over new strain fears


  • English
  • Arabic

Britain banned all arrivals from Portugal and every country in South America as fears grow over the Brazilian Covid variant.

The emergency decision was made after scientists suggested that the strain had the ability to re-infect previous Covid-19 sufferers and may not be stopped by current vaccines.

Health minister Matt Hancock announced on Thursday that the UK had delivered three million vaccine shots.

This figure could soon be turbocharged after a vaccine launch began in community pharmacies.

Portuguese flight ban a UK Covid first

Prime Minister Boris Johnson raised the alarm over the new strain on Wednesday, saying the government was concerned about the new Brazilian variant.

The ban on all flights from Portugal from 4am on Friday is the first time Britain has stopped travel from a European country during the pandemic and a sign of how seriously the government is treating the E484K variant found in the Brazilian and South African strains.

Scientists believe the mutant virus may evade antibodies made against the older variant, allowing re-infections that could make current vaccines less effective.

While there are few direct flights between South America and the UK, there are dozens to and from Portugal, a favoured holiday and retirement destination for the British.

But Portugal has strong former colonial ties with Brazil and numerous flights to the country, making it an unacceptably high risk for spreading Covid.

Transport secretary Grant Shapps said the decision had to be made urgently.

“The government has taken the urgent decision to ban travel to the UK in order to prevent the spread of a new strain of coronavirus into the UK,” his department said. “The decision to ban travel from these destinations follows the discovery of a new coronavirus variant first identified in Brazil, that may have spread to countries with strong travel links to Brazil.”

...we don't know for sure" if the Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines would work on the Brazilian and South African strains

The decision comes a few days after Britain took the UAE off its international travel corridor list after a surge of infections in the Gulf with passengers from the Emirates now required to quarantine for 10 days.

Scientists fear that the world could face a significant threat from E484K.

Patrick Vallance, the UK’s chief scientific adviser, said “we don’t know for sure” if the Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines would work on the Brazilian and South African strains. “There’s a bit more of a risk that this might make a change to the way the immune system recognises it but we don’t know,” he told ITV. “Those experiments are under way.”

He did say, however, that it would be straightforward to adapt vaccines to the new strains.

Scientists are concerned that the virus possibly originated in Manaus, a city that suffered very high infections and deaths from the original strain but as a result was thought to have established herd immunity.

Research published last year stated that 76 per cent of people in Manaus had caught the coronavirus by October, which should have substantially restricted the virus’s spread. But Manaus experienced an unexpected surge of new cases last month and has now declared a state of emergency after hospitals reached 100 per cent capacity.

Brazil has suffered 206,000 deaths and more than eight million people have caught Covid, with a record 87,000 infections in a day on January 7.

The new restrictions will give returning travellers just 12 hours to find their way home, potentially leading to chaos at airports.

The Brazilian strain was first announced last Monday after Japanese health officials identified four air passengers arriving in Tokyo from Brazil's Amazonas state as carriers. Subsequently the UK government has been studying the best ways to alleviate the threat.

Panama and Cape Verde will also be included in the British ban decided by ministers on the government’s Covid-O committee.

Mr Shapps said there is an exemption for British and Irish citizens with residence rights but that they must self-isolate for 10 days with their households.

The government has come under sustained attack for failing to enforce quarantine measures, and a similar failure with the Brazilian variant could be catastrophic if it can evade current vaccines and natural immunity built up through infection.

The government was also facing criticism on Thursday for delaying the enforcement of a requirement for travellers arriving in England to receive a negative Covid-19 test before departure.

Immunity can last up to five months

A Public Health England study unveiled on Thursday reported that infection confers immunity for at least five months – although this thesis has not been tested against the new strains. The study also found that even those with high levels of immunity could still pass on the virus.

"It is therefore crucial that everyone continues to follow the rules and stays at home, even if they have previously had Covid-19," PHE researchers said.

UK case rate starting to plateau in some regions

The UK reported a further 48,682 confirmed infections on Thursday but the release of the daily death toll was delayed.

Although not reflected in deaths after yesterday's record daily toll, the Covid case rate appears to be slowing.

"It looks like in London, in particular, and a couple of other regions in the South East and East of England, hospital admissions may even have plateaued, although it is hard to tell if they are coming down," Prof Neil Ferguson of Imperial College London told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"It has to be said this is not seen everywhere – both case numbers and hospital admissions are going up in many other areas but overall, at a national level, we are seeing the rate of growth slow."

The news will offer a scintilla of comfort to overburdened NHS staff, battling day and night to keep the pandemic at bay.

It comes as NHS England data showed that there were 4.46 million people waiting to start hospital treatment in November last year – the highest figure since records began.

In numbers

1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:

  • 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
  • 150 tonnes to landfill
  • 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal

800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal

Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year

25 staff on site

 

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
If%20you%20go
%3Cp%3EThere%20are%20regular%20flights%20from%20Dubai%20to%20Kathmandu.%20Fares%20with%20Air%20Arabia%20and%20flydubai%20start%20at%20Dh1%2C265.%3Cbr%3EIn%20Kathmandu%2C%20rooms%20at%20the%20Oasis%20Kathmandu%20Hotel%20start%20at%20Dh195%20and%20Dh120%20at%20Hotel%20Ganesh%20Himal.%3Cbr%3EThird%20Rock%20Adventures%20offers%20professionally%20run%20group%20and%20individual%20treks%20and%20tours%20using%20highly%20experienced%20guides%20throughout%20Nepal%2C%20Bhutan%20and%20other%20parts%20of%20the%20Himalayas.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20Genius%20of%20Their%20Age
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20S%20Frederick%20Starr%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Oxford%20University%20Press%3Cbr%3EPages%3A%20290%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20January%2024%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

Indoor cricket in a nutshell

Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai

16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side

8 There are eight players per team

There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.

5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls

Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership

Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.

Zones

A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs

B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run

Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs

Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full

LIVING IN...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants

The%20specs%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDual%20permanently%20excited%20synchronous%20motors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E516hp%20or%20400Kw%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E858Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle%20speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERange%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E485km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh699%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
'HIJRAH%3A%20IN%20THE%20FOOTSTEPS%20OF%20THE%20PROPHET'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEdited%20by%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Idries%20Trevathan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20240%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hirmer%20Publishers%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What are the main cyber security threats?

Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.

More from Armen Sarkissian
The specs

Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder

Power: 220 and 280 horsepower

Torque: 350 and 360Nm

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT 

On sale: now

Company Profile

Company name: NutriCal

Started: 2019

Founder: Soniya Ashar

Based: Dubai

Industry: Food Technology

Initial investment: Self-funded undisclosed amount

Future plan: Looking to raise fresh capital and expand in Saudi Arabia

Total Clients: Over 50

The Details

Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5