12月14日，英国确认发现新冠病毒新变种，报告称该变种最早于9月被发现，传播速度更快，3个月内迅速蔓延，多国政府已宣布紧急限制英国旅客入境（戳这里回顾）。而短短数天后，英国又发现了另一种变异新冠病毒。
英国卫生大臣马修•汉考克23日表示，英格兰东部和东南部更多地区的新冠疫情防控级别将调升至最高的第四级。此外，英国发现另一种变异新冠病毒。
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Wednesday announced that more areas of the East and South East of England will be put into Tier Four restrictions, the highest level, while revealing that two cases of another new variant of the novel coronavirus have been identified in Britain.
BBC：数百万人进入第四级防控措施，英国发现病毒新变异
汉考克当天在疫情新闻发布会上说，鉴于疫情形势，英国政府决定从26日起将英格兰的萨塞克斯郡、牛津郡、萨福克郡、诺福克郡、剑桥郡等地的新冠疫情防控级别调升至第四级。
To curb the spread of COVID-19, Sussex, Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, parts of Essex that are not currently in the tightest restrictions, Waverley in Surrey and Hampshire will all enter Tier Four from Boxing Day, Hancock said at a virtual press conference at Downing Street.
当地时间2020年12月23日，英国伦敦，当地街头人迹罕至，少数行人佩戴口罩出行。图源：人民视觉
汉考克同时表示，继此前发现一种变异新冠病毒后，英国又发现了另一种变异新冠病毒，并发现两例相关病例。新的变异病毒让人“非常担忧”，因为它传播性更强，似乎比前一种变异病毒变异程度更深。新的变异病毒感染的两例病例均与近期的南非旅程有关。
Meanwhile, Hancock also said that another new variant of the novel coronavirus has been detected in Britain, and two cases have been reported so far. This new variant is "yet more transmissible" and the development is "highly concerning"."And it appears to have mutated further than the new variant that’s been discovered in the UK", he said, "Both are contacts of cases who have travelled from South Africa over the past few weeks."
汉考克说，英国政府已隔离患者及其密切接触者，并对与南非有关的旅行采取限制措施，过去两周去过南非的人员及其密切接触者必须立即隔离。英国专家正在深入分析。
Cases and close contacts of cases found in Britain are being quarantined, and the British government is placing "immediate restrictions" on travel from South Africa, according to Hancock. Anyone who has been in South Africa in the last fortnight and anyone who has been a close contact of someone who has been in South Africa in the past two weeks must quarantine immediately, said Hancock. Experts are still learning about this new variant.
据英国卫生与社会保障部统计，截至当地时间12月23日，英国24小时内新增新冠肺炎确诊病例39237例，为新冠肺炎疫情发生以来单日新增最高，累计确诊2149551例；新增死亡744例，为4月29日以来单日死亡最高。
744 people have died of a positive test, marking the highest daily increase of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain since the end of April, according to official figures released Wednesday. Another 39,237 people have tested positive for COVID-19, the highest daily increase since the start of the pandemic in the country, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the UK to 2,149,551, the data showed.
这是12月23日在英国伦敦拍摄的因疫情关闭而停止转动的“伦敦眼”。新华社记者韩岩摄 图源：新华网
据英国天空新闻报道，此前在英国出现的病毒新变种，迅速传播到其他地方，包括丹麦、意大利、直布罗陀、荷兰以及澳大利亚等地都有确诊病例。
Cases of the new coronavirus strain spreading rapidly in the UK have been confirmed in Denmark, Italy, Gibraltar, the Netherlands and Australia.
此外，南非、葡萄牙、厄瓜多尔均发现病毒新变种，与在英国发现变种无关。巴西也发现病毒新变种，尚不确定是否与在英国发现变种相同。
视频来源：世面
据环球网援引香港媒体报道，香港卫生署卫生防护中心传染病处主任张竹君23日下午通报称，化验结果显示，从英国回到香港的两名确诊留学生的样本与英国变种新冠病毒相似。
Hong Kong health authorities have discovered that two students returning from the U.K. were infected by the new variant of the novel coronavirus recently found in Britain.
这是12月24日在香港街头拍摄的戴口罩的行人。新华社记者 吴晓初 摄 图源：新华网
张竹君还指出，公共化验所正进行病毒基因分析，特别对11个英国输入病例的样本进行了分析，发现有两个病例的样本与英国变种病毒相似。这两个病例均涉及留学生，其中一个病例编号为7077，12月7日乘飞机回港，确诊后正留医；另一个病例编号为7631，12月13日乘飞机回港，病人已康复，已经出院。
Chuang Shuk Kwan, director of the Communicable Disease Branch of the Department of Health in Hong Kong said during a press conference that after testing 11 samples from those returning from Britain recently, two of them, both from students, featured the same new variant as that reported in the U.K. One of the students is still being treated in hospital, while the other has been discharged, Chuang said.
另外，两名患者中，病例7631是单独回港的，病例7077则有三名朋友一同回港，张竹君表示，这三人已被列为密切接触者，已通知相关人士继续隔离检疫。
Health authorities have traced the two cases’ close contacts.
24日起，从英国抵港人士需接受21天强制隔离。
12月24日外交部发言人汪文斌主持例行记者会，有记者提问：有媒体报道，在英国又出现了新冠病毒的另一种变种，已有多个国家对来自英国的旅客和航班采取限制措施。中方在这方面有什么考虑？
图源：外交部网站
汪文斌表示：
“近日，英国宣布发现变异新冠病毒毒株，并已将有关信息通报世界卫生组织。多国宣布对英国采取关闭边境、停飞往返航班、禁止英航班入境等措施。”
"The United Kingdom recently announced the finding of a new coronavirus variant and notified the World Health Organization. Many countries have closed their borders to the United Kingdom, stopped round flights and banned British flights from entering."
“考虑到变异病毒的特殊性及可能产生的影响，为保障中外人员健康往来，经过综合评估，中方考虑参考多国做法，暂停中英间往返航班。中方将密切跟踪有关情况，并视情动态调整相关管控措施。”
"Considering the special features and possible impacts of the new virus variant, the Chinese side, after comprehensive assessment, is thinking of borrowing from other countries' practice and suspending flights between China and Britain to ensure the health of Chinese and foreign travelers. We will follow the situation closely and adjust our measures according to the latest developments."
视频来源：CGTN
面对变种病毒，有不少网友担心这样的变异是否对中国疫苗有影响。中国疾控中心流行病学首席专家吴尊友近日在接受央视采访时表示：病毒发生变异对中国疫苗影响不大；不会因为几个基因位点突变就导致疫苗失效；疫苗研发多个途径，无需过度担心“变异”。
视频来源：央视网
综合来源：新华网，BBC，Caixinglobal，央视网，环球网
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