'There is currently no evidence that Pirola is any more of a threat than the dozens of strains that have come before it.
But scientists have recommended a return of pandemic mitigation measures, including mask wearing, and increased ventilation because of the virus' resurgence.
Dr Trisha Greenhalgh, an internationally-renowned expert in primary care, based at the University of Oxford, also suggested everyone should be made eligible for a jab.
The professor, who is also a member of Independent SAGE, a group of academics that called for No10 to adopt an Australian-style Covid elimination strategy early on in the pandemic, tweeted: 'Might be a good idea to vaccinate everyone.'
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