Health leaders’ response to ‘mutations of concern’ in Bristol

The advice for people in Bristol remains the same as investigation work is carried out on a new coronavirus mutation discovered in the city.

The council’s director for public health issued a reminder that we are still in the middle of a national lockdown and said people should be acting “as if they are infectious” whenever they have to leave the house to avoid possible transmission.

Christina Gray revealed the 11 cases of the E484K “mutation of concern” have been identified in clusters in the city – but not tight clusters – and said her department is working with Public Health England (PHE) South West to further investigate.

She was accompanied at a press briefing on Wednesday by Dominic Mellon from PHE, who said they are taking the new mutant strain “very seriously” but added that, at this stage, there is no reason to think the mutation is making the Kent variant of the virus any more infectious or dangerous.

Speaking about the E484K cases identified in Bristol, Gray said: “It’s not a new variant in and of itself. It’s a mutation which attaches itself to different variants and, for that reason, it’s of interest and concern nationally.

“Further investigation clearly is required and we are working with PHE to undertake further investigatory work.”

The investigation work is likely to include enhanced contact tracing, additional laboratory analysis and possibly additional testing.

Mellon said his team is working with the council to investigate the cases, advise on the risk assessment process and determine what a proportionate response looks like.

He also said there will be “enhanced surveillance” carried out, which entails getting as much information as possible from the people known to have had this particular variant with a mutation, finding out about their circumstances and who they’ve been in contact with in order to establish links and better target any interventions.

Gray said it is a small number of cases and that it would be inappropriate for her to say where in Bristol these are located as it is important for people to have confidence in the test and trace system and continue to engage with it.

The message from health and political leaders is to stay at home where at all possible and keep up Covid-safe behaviour, of covering faces, washing hands and keeping at least a two-metre distance from others.

It comes as the number of cases in Bristol is gradually reducing by about five per cent each day, which still translates to around 155 cases per day, according to the director of public health.

Gray said the number of hospital admissions is also going down, although there are 350 Covid patients currently across the region’s three hospital sites, which are still under pressure.

Main photo by Ellie Pipe

Read more: 11 cases of Covid-19 ‘mutation of concern’ in Bristol