UK health minister to speak on COVID measures as new variant spreads

LONDON (Reuters) – British Health Secretary Matt Hancock will speak on Wednesday about what further action the government needs to take to tackle the novel coronavirus after a new variant of the virus swept across the country.

Hancock will speak at 1500 GMT.

“Ministers have met today to assess what further action may be needed to address the rise in cases driven by the new variant,” a health official said.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; writing by Guy Faulconbridge; editing by Michael Holden)