New COVID-19 strain worries Europe

Several countries in the European Union banned flights from the United Kingdom on Sunday in a bid to stop a fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus from sweeping across the continent. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the cancellation of Christmas shopping and gatherings in southern England.

Is this strain worse than the original? Johnson said there’s no evidence it causes more severe illness or higher mortality, but it might be up to 70 percent more infectious. Adm. Brett Giroir, U.S. assistant health and human services secretary, told ABC News the newly authorized coronavirus vaccines should cover the new strain. “We have not seen a single mutation yet that would make it evade the vaccine,” he said.

Dig deeper: Read Onize Ohikere’s report in World Tour about how Europe readied for the holiday season during the pandemic.