//The new UK coronavirus mutations, explained

The new UK coronavirus mutations, explained

Illustration by Zac Freeland/Vox

What scientists have learned about the Covid-19 variants in the UK, South Africa, and other parts of the world.

Health officials in the United Kingdom and around the world are worried about a new, seemingly more contagious variety of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes Covid-19), which has emerged in the country and was announced over the weekend. The evidence that this new strain spreads more easily between people is not rock solid, but it’s concerning enough to have forced dramatic action.

Nations are already shutting down travel from the United Kingdom, where the new strain, known as B.1.1.7 (we’ll call it the UK variant, for simplicity’s sake), is rapidly spreading in the southeastern part of the country. Within the UK, officials are imposing stricter limits on movement and public spaces.

Right now it doesn’t appear as though the