COVID-19: Government scientist warns we 'should be very concerned' about new strain

The rapid spread of a new strain of coronavirus is the 'worst news' of the pandemic so far, a government scientist has told Sky News. Britons should be 'very concerned' about the mutated strain of COVID-19 that is circulating in London and the South East, Professor Andrew Hayward of the government's New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) said. Stressing the importance of how much easier this strain passes from person-to-person, he said: 'This is really terrible news in terms of the pandemic. 'If the vaccine is the best news, this is the worst news we've had so far, and we really, really need to tighten down the hatches to stop the spread of this strain while vaccinating as many people as possible.'