 said. Dr Meera Chand of UKHSA said: 'It is not unexpected to see new variants of SARS-CoV-2 emerge. "Neither BQ.1 nor XBB have been designated as Variants of Concern and UKHSA is monitoring the situation closely, as always". He added: 'Vaccination remains our best defence against future Covid-19 waves, so it is still as important as ever that people come take up all the doses for which they are eligible as soon as possible){kind=link}
TWO new Covid strains have been detected in the UK and are being closely monitored by the Government.
This comes as Covid cases are beginning to level off in Britan after cases began to peak in early October.
The sub-strains, named BQ.1 and XBB, are variants of Omicron – the dominant version of the virus currently circulating.
More than 700 cases of the two new strains had been detected, the UK Health Security Agency (UKSHA) said.
Dr Meera Chand of UKHSA said: “It is not unexpected to see new variants of SARS-CoV-2 emerge.