Council closely monitoring situation around Covid-19 variants

A new Covid-19 mutation – originally found in Liverpool – has spread to Lancashire with one case found in Preston and four cases in West Lancashire so far, it has been announced.

People living in those areas are being urged to take a Covid-19 test if they are feeling unwell, with symptoms including a cold, mild flu and headaches.

Blackburn with Darwen Council is continuing to closely monitor the situation locally. There is no evidence the strain has reached the borough yet but if/when a case is confirmed appropriate action will be taken and communicated to the public.

In Blackburn with Darwen, the Council is already advising on a wider range of possible symptoms and if anyone has any concerns about their health to get a test asap.

It’s also vital that everyone continues to respect the lockdown and follow the hands, face, space rules; as this is the most effective way to control the spread of all variants of coronavirus.

Dominic Harrison, Blackburn with Darwen’s Director of Public Health, said:

There is regular sampling of PCR tests to monitor for any appearance of new variants across the North West and we will be alerted if there are any in Blackburn with Darwen. To date no cases have been identified.

All viruses will mutate both over time and with increased numbers of new infections. So we can predict that we are likely to see a number emerge before the end of the pandemic. Most variants will not present radically increased risks and we do have mechanisms to adjust the vaccination formulation if that is required although this can take time. We should not be unduly alarmed.

As new variants emerge however,  it does become even more important that we keep transmission as low as possible, get tested if we have symptoms and self-isolate if required. Less virus circulating is the best way to get less variants emerging.

More information on Preston and West Lancashire findings.

BBC analysis of the key issues on variants.