Sunday, during Roya’s news bulletin, a surgeon from the Royal Hospital in London Ahmed Al-Mashtat confirmed that a new strain of COVID-19 is rapidly spreading in the UK.

Al-Mashtat added that the new strain of coronavirus does not cause greater lethality than previous strains, but it is rapidly spreading, indicating that there is no evidence that the new vaccines do not respond to this strain of COVID-19.

Although it is not more lethal, Al-Mashtat added that if the new strain spreads rapidly, it will mutate, making it more lethal.

In statements Sunday, British Health Minister Matt Hancock said that the new strain has already gone out of control, stressing the need to put an end to the spread of this strain through preventive measures.

In Amman, a member of the epidemics committee, Munir Abu Hilaleh, confirmed that all Jordanian health authorities are monitoring all the details related to the new strain which appeared in Britain.

Abu Hilaleh stressed the need to monitor the potential of the new strain appearing locally, and analyze whether or not available vaccines are effective, especially the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which work on surface proteins.

He said it will take at least five weeks to know whether or not vaccines are effective on the new strain.