Monday, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) emergencies Chief Michael Ryan said that the mutated COVID-19 strain is not yet out of control, but with its higher transmission rate, measures must be set to help stop its spread.

"In some senses it means we have to work harder. Even if the virus has become a little bit more efficient in spreading, the virus can be stopped,” said Ryan.

He added, "this situation is not in that sense out of control. But it cannot be left to its own devices."

-UK isolated over new strain-

According to AFP, countries around the world closed their borders to Britain Monday in a race to contain a fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus as the European Union neared approval of its first jab for the bloc's vaccination campaign.

Despite vaccination programs bringing a rush of optimism to the general public, the travel bans and flight suspensions appear to be a bleak reminder that the pandemic is far from being under-control.

The recent events led European stocks, oil prices and the British pound to plummet.

While experts say there is no evidence that the UK strain, which is one of many mutations, is more lethal or may affect vaccine impacts, it may be up to 70 percent transmissible according to initial data.

-Multiple variants -

Scientists say the coronavirus has transformed into several different variants as it continues spreading worldwide.

According to WHO, the UK strain has also been detected in small numbers in Australia, Denmark and the Netherlands, while another variant with similar genetic mutations have been linked to widespread transmission in South Africa.

There is currently "no evidence to indicate any change in disease severity, but this is also under investigation," WHO said in a statement.

The first discovery of this mutation was discovered in a patient in September, according to UK scientists, and by Dec. 9, the new strain was accounting for 60 percent of cases in London, said the UK government’s Chief Scientific Advisor, Patrick Vallance.