Quarantine ordered over ‘mink virus’ fears
Britain’s hospitals have been ordered to quarantine patients with suspected “mink virus” in an effort to prevent a mutant strain of coronavirus from spreading to the UK. Vets in Denmark have begun culling 17 million mink when the “cluster 5” mutation – which it is feared will be resistant to a vaccine – was found in 12 people after jumping from animals. Britain banned entry to non-resident foreigners arriving from Denmark and imposed trade controls, threatening pork and bacon supplies.
EVERY hospital in the country has been ordered to isolate suspected “mink virus” patients amid increasing efforts to prevent a mutant strain of Covid-19 from spreading to the UK.
Prof Jonathan Van-tam, the deputy chief medical officer, has told doctors, nurses and GPS to take “immediate actions” against a new type of Covid-19 feared to be resistant to a vaccine.
In a letter circulated to health chiefs, co-signed by Prof Steve Powis, the NHS medical director, hospitals have been informed that coronavirus patients who recently travelled to Denmark must be isolated, treated in specialist centres and gene-tested.
Meanwhile, vets in Denmark began the grim task of gassing and burning 17 million mink in an effort to prevent the further spread of the “cluster 5” mutation, which has been detected in 12 people after jumping from the animals.
The UK has banned entry to all nonresident foreigners arriving from Denmark, while UK citizens must isolate for 14 days. Passenger planes, ships and lorries carrying freight from Denmark will also not be allowed across the border, threatening supplies of pork and bacon.
In the NHS alert, seen by The Daily Telegraph, hospitals and GPS were warned that the new virus strain appeared to show “less sensitivity for neutralising antibodies”, and therefore greater resistance to a vaccine. The Government estimates between 300500 people have arrived in the UK from Denmark in the past 14 days.
It was yesterday announced that 156 more people had died after testing positive for the virus in the UK. It brings the UK death toll to 49,044. A further 20,572 cases of coronavirus were recorded.
Denmark has reported 214 human cases linked to mink farms, of which 12 are thought to be of cluster 5. Four were found in the local community, rather than on farms, suggesting human-to-human transmission. New coronavirus cases linked to mink farms have been discovered in six countries, the World Health Organisation warned.
Fiona Mathews, a professor of environmental biology who chairs the Mammal Society, urged the Government to fund a study into whether the virus might already be spreading in the UK’S wild mink population.
“There’s a chance it might have jumped to cousins of the mink, like otters,” she said.
Danish authorities said the mutated strain had not been found in humans since September. “Either it is in circulation without us having discovered it … or it may have died out,” said Tyra Grove Krause, of the Statens Serum Institut.
Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, denied the Denmark travel ban was “draconian”. He told the BBC: “I think that’s a common sense measure that the public would expect us to take.”