Speaking on the BBC Breakfast show, professor Clare Bryant of the University of Cambridge singled out two reasons why the new variant is a grave cause for concern.
“The real concern about this strain is that it is carrying a lot of mutations.There are a lot of mutations in the spike protein,” she warned.
The virus latches on to the spike protein to gain entry into the cells.
Prof Bryant continued: “Many more [mutations] than we have seen before and of course all our vaccines are made against that spike protein.”