Experts have discovered two new Covid strains in the UK, health officials have said. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the BQ.1 and XBB strains were being "closely monitored".
However, neither has been designated as a "variant of concern" thus far. The UKHSA said there had been 717 cases of BQ.1 found so far alongside 18 cases of the XBB variant. The XBB strain is thought to be driving a recent spike in cases in Singapore.
Dr Meera Chand, director of clinical and emerging infection at UKHSA, said: “It is not unexpected to see new variants of SARS-CoV-2 emerge. Neither BQ.1 nor XBB have been designated as variants of concern and UKHSA is monitoring the situation closely, as always. Vaccination remains our best defence against future Covid-19 waves, so it is still as important as ever that people come take up all the doses for which they are eligible as soon as possible.”
