Public Health England has found 38 cases of the new Nigerian Covid strain. The organisation has labelled the strain as a 'variant under investigation' amid worrying claims that vaccines may be less effective against it.
Despite these concerns, Public Health England insists there is no evidence the variant is faster spreading or more deadly than other strains.
It comes after researchers at the University of Edinburgh confirmed the B1525 variant, which was first detected in Nigeria, had been found in the UK.
Professor Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, said: "There is currently no evidence that this set of mutations causes more severe illness or increased transmissibility. "PHE is monitoring data about emerging variants