英国确认发现新冠病毒的新变种，传播速度更快，感染人数已超过1000例。从12月16日凌晨起，伦敦防疫等级将升至最高级。

A new variant of coronavirus has been found which is growing faster in some parts of England.

英格兰部分地区确认发现新冠病毒的新变种，传播速度更快。

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said at least 60 different local authorities had recorded Covid infections caused by the new variant.

英国卫生大臣马特·汉考克日前证实，至少有60个地区发现了新冠病毒新变种造成的感染病例。

He said the World Health Organization had been notified and UK scientists were doing detailed studies.

汉考克还称，英国卫生部门已向世界卫生组织通报了这一情况，科学家已展开详细研究。

He said there was "nothing to suggest" it caused worse disease or that vaccines would no longer work.

他还表示，“尚无法确认”变种病毒是否会使病情更严重或者令新冠疫苗失效。

He told MPs in the House of Commons that over the last week, there had been sharp, exponential rises in coronavirus infections across London, Kent, parts of Essex and Hertfordshire.

他告诉下议院的议员们，在过去一周，新冠病毒感染病例数在伦敦、肯特、埃塞克斯和赫特福德郡的部分地区呈指数级急剧上升。

exponential [ˌekspəˈnenʃl]：adj.指数的

"We've currently identified over 1,000 cases with this variant predominantly in the South of England although cases have been identified in nearly 60 different local authority areas.

“我们目前已经确认了1000多例新冠病毒新变种感染病例，尽管在近60个不同的地区都发现了这种病例，但主要集中在英格兰南部。”

"We do not know the extent to which this is because of the new variant but no matter its cause we have to take swift and decisive action which unfortunately is absolutely essential to control this deadly disease while the vaccine is rolled out."

“我们不知道这在多大程度上是由于新的变异造成的，但无论原因是什么，我们必须迅速且果断地采取行动，这对于在疫苗推出期间控制这种致命疾病非常必要。”

England's Chief Medical Officer Prof Chris Whitty said current coronavirus swab tests would detect the new variant that has been found predominantly in Kent and neighbouring areas in recent weeks.

英格兰首席医疗官克里斯·威蒂教授说，目前的冠状病毒拭子测试可以检测出近几周主要在肯特郡和邻近地区发现的新变异病毒。

The changes or mutations involve the spike protein of the virus - the part that helps it infect cells, and the target Covid vaccines are designed around.

这种变化或突变涉及病毒的刺突蛋白，刺突蛋白是使病毒感染细胞的部分，而新冠疫苗就是以其为目标设计的。

It is too soon to know exactly what this will do to the behaviour of the virus.

现在要确切地知道这中突变会对病毒的行为产生什么影响还为时过早。

Prof Alan McNally, an expert at the University of Birmingham, told the BBC: "Let's not be hysterical. It doesn't mean it's more transmissible or more infectious or dangerous.

伯明翰大学专家艾伦·麦克纳利教授告诉英国广播公司说：“人们不用太慌。这并不意味着它的传染性更强或更危险。”

hysterical [hɪˈsterɪkl]：adj.歇斯底里的；异常兴奋的

"It is something to keep an eye on.

“我们只是需要关注它。”

keep an eye on：留意；密切注视

"Huge efforts are ongoing at characterising the variant and understanding its emergence. It is important to keep a calm and rational perspective on the strain as this is normal virus evolution and we expect new variants to come and go and emerge over time."

“人们正尽力来描述这种变异并理解它的出现。重要的是要对该毒株保持冷静和理性的看法，因为这是正常的病毒进化，我们预计随着时间的推移，总是会有新的变种出现又消失。”

Dr Jeremy Farrar, Director of Wellcome, said it was potentially serious. "The surveillance and research must continue and we must take the necessary steps to stay ahead of the virus."

惠康基金会主任杰里米·法勒博士说，这可能会很严重。“我们必须继续进行监测和研究，抢先采取必要措施遏制病毒传播。”

世卫组织：没有证据显示英国出现的变异病毒表现有所不同

当地时间12月14日，世卫组织举行新冠肺炎例行发布会，针对英国发现一种变异的新冠病毒已在英格兰地区感染上千人，世卫组织卫生紧急项目负责人迈克尔·瑞安表示，病毒会随时间改变，已有多种变异出现，关键在于其是否会影响公共卫生。目前这种变异病毒正在英国逐渐流行，需要与国际实验室合作观察这种变异病毒是否在全球范围内流行。

迈克尔·瑞安同时指出，病毒变异非常常见，问题在于变异是否会让病毒更易传播、是否会影响诊断或疫苗有效性，目前没有信息表明会出现此类情况。每次发现病毒变异，都要花时间评估其重要性。

世卫组织卫生紧急项目技术主管玛丽亚·范·科霍夫表示，世卫组织正与全球各地科学家合作研究每种变异，目前没有证据显示英国出现的变异病毒表现有所不同，研究人员正在观察中和抗体是否有变化。