Mcbride urges caution as England tests for variant

RELAXING restrictions could let new Covid superbugs rampage through Northern Ireland, health chiefs warned yesterday.

Dr Michael Mcbride says the so-called Kent variant is already the dominant one in the Republic and “will inevitably” be here too.

He added there is no capacity in the hospital system to deal with a further surge which a premature relaxation of current lockdown measures could lead to, particularly as the new strain is “much more transmissible”.

Current estimates suggest the Kent strain is around 50% more transmissible.

The new variant is “capable of reaching epidemic levels very quickly” so any relaxing of the lockdown must be gradual with a constant monitoring of the impact of any easements before further moves are considered, Dr Mcbride said.

The Chief Medical Officer added “some easement of restrictions will be possible” as the vaccine rollout continues and as the summer approaches when the virus transmits “less readily”.

The Kent variant, he added, appears to have represented around 30% of the virus in Northern Ireland before Christmas but now accounts for 50 to 60%. Any relaxing of restrictions could see infections “take off very quickly”, he added, so “we need to be very cautious”.

He said that it is “only a matter of time” before other variants, like the South African one, are detected in Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile, in England thousands volunteered for tests to help tackle the South African variant.

Torrential rain soaked those patiently waiting in line for swabs outside the aptly named Splash World water park in Southport.

The seaside town in Merseyside has one of the eight UK postcode areas which are under the mutant virus microscope.