Surrey residents to be tested as South African strain may be spreading

Residents in a part of Surrey are to be urgently tested for Covid-19 after it emerged the South African strain of the virus may have started spreading in the community.Two positive cases of the strain – which has been worrying scientists – have been identified in people with no links to travel or previous contact with those affected.So far, 105 cases of the strain have been identified across the UK, but this is the first signal of wider community spread.

Some of the vaccines in use and currently going through approval have shown some effectiveness against the variant.