A new SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 emerged in the UK (reported Dec 14,2020 [4]), which is more transmissible than original Wuhan virus, but there is no evidence to it’s severity. On December 18, 2020 the WHO designated B.1.1.7 as a Variant of Concern (VOC) and later labelled this the Alpha variant.
On the same day, December 18, 2020, the WHO designated B.1.351, first detected in South Africa, also as a VOC which later is labelled Beta. Both strains are found in the UK. [2]
“Concern” of these more transmissible variant has caused other European countries to cut UK off from travel as “its neighbors tried desperately to stop a fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus from leaping across the English Channel”. [3]
On December 7, 2020 the UK was the first country to begin administering the spike protein COVID-19 vaccines, 7 days later Alpha is first detected. [1] Though earliest B.1.1.7 were traced back to September 2020. [5]
On December 14, 2020 the US begins administering the COVID-19 vaccine, 15 days later on December 29, 2020 the CDC reports Alpha in the US.
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