Since the coronavirus pandemic erupted, a lurking fear for scientists and politicians has been the emergence of a “mutant” strain making it more dangerous. The variant that has prompted the UK to impose a Christmas clampdown takes the health emergency into a new phase. It does not, so far, appear to cause more serious symptoms or higher mortality rates, or be more resistant to vaccines. But its higher transmission rate makes containing it even more demanding. Since the same variant has been found in the Netherlands, Denmark, Australia and elsewhere, more countries internationally may soon be grappling with the same problems.
自新型冠状病毒疫情爆发以来，科学家和政界人士一直隐隐担心一件事，那就是出现一种“突变”毒株，使这种病毒更加危险。促使英国政府实施圣诞节封锁的新变种，使这起公共卫生紧急事件进入一个新阶段。迄今为止，新变种似乎不会导致更严重的症状或更高的死亡率，或者降低疫苗的效力。但是其更强的传染性意味着，要遏制它的传播甚至更加困难。由于在荷兰、丹麦、澳大利亚等国家也已发现相同的变种，因此更多国家可能很快就会遭遇相同问题。