Variant cases double in U.K.

South African mutation most prominent

• New COVID variants appear to be escaping vaccines, with latest figures showing a doubling in cases of the South African mutation in the U.K. in the past month.

Meanwhile, 77 cases of a separate variant, from India, which it is also feared may resist vaccines, have now been found in the U.K. Health officials said these were “geographically well spread” across the country.

Data from Public Health England reveals that there are now 600 cases of the South African variant in the U.K., up from around 300 a month ago.

Officials have embarked on the largest “surge testing” program to date, amid concerns that a number of the infections in London involve people who had already been vaccinated.

Importation of cases of the South African variant has long been of concern because of its ability to escape vaccines.

The outbreak in London is thought to have been triggered by an individual travelling from Africa to the U.K. in February, with cases spreading to members of their household, and then to a care home in Lambeth, which is understood to have suffered at least 23 infections. Six in 10 of the residents who became infected are understood to have previously received the AstraZeneca jab, while one of the 13 staff members with the variant had been given the Pfizer vaccination.

Residents of Lambeth, Wandsworth, parts of Barnet and Southwark are being asked to undergo tests for COVID, in a bid to identify cases, with tests rolled out to areas of Birmingham and Sandwell.

Scientists are also worried about the arrival of a new variant from India, which has a double mutation in the spike protein, which may make it more able to evade the body's immune responses. It currently has the label “variant under investigation,” but could be designated “a variant of concern” if it is found to be more infectious or resistant to vaccines.

Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, said it features two “escape mutations” — E484Q and L452R — which “are causing people to be concerned.”

“There's laboratory evidence that both of these are escape mutations,” he said. “Basically, applying what we know about other human coronaviruses would suggest that this is going to be even less controlled by vaccine. But we don't know that for certain at the moment.”

In India, COVID-19 rates are soaring, with more than 13.9 million confirmed cases and 172,000 deaths.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has scaled down a planned trip to India due to its worsening COVID situation.