On December 14, 2020, Matt Hancock informs UK Parliament of a new variant. The variant is referred to as SARS-CoV-2 VOC 202012/01 (Variant of Concern, year 2020, month 12, variant 01). [2]
The UK reported on December 21, 2020 that new SARS-CoV-2 variant had 17 mutations in the spike protein (23 overall), the target region for the COVID-19 vaccines and this may affect vaccine efficacy. [1, 3] The technical briefing stated “This is an unusually large number of mutations in a single cluster.”
By Jan 24, 2021 greater than 60 countries have detected this “UK variant” which has increased transmissibility.
In time this variant of concern (VOC) “variant 01” will be known as the Alpha variant.
Virus mutations and variants are monitored with genetic sequencing and tracked by GISAID. Depending on where and how much the virus mutates can affect its transmissibility, infectivity, vaccine effectiveness and whether it becomes a Variant of Concern.
The release of “The Lockdown Files” on March 1, 2023, revealed that health minister Matt Hancock secretly wanted to ‘frighten the pants off’ the public to ensure compliance with lockdown measures by deploying this “new variant” narrative. [4]