India variant more transmissible than Kent variant, says England's Whitty

British scientists now believe that the coronavirus variant originating in India is more transmissible than a variant first found in the English county of Kent, Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, said on Friday.

>>Reuters
Published : 14 May 2021, 05:08 PM
Updated : 14 May 2021, 05:08 PM

"There is now confidence ... that this variant is more transmissible that B.1.1.7 (Kent variant), now the question in practical terms over the next two to three weeks is - is this somewhat more transmissible than B.1.1.7 or is this a lot more transmissible and that will have implications for the long-term prospects of this epidemic in the UK and indeed the pandemic internationally," he told a news conference.