I would take that with a pinch of salt, I think Nick was onto something and this was dropped in to take the focus on the shitshow that London has been.
It seems very convenient that after the government was criticised for treating London and the south differently to the rest of the company, and the potential for that to result in rising cases, it now turns out its not the packed shops, bars and restaurants we've all seen the pictures of on social media are not the cause of rising cases but a new variant.
What we need to know is what exactly he is referring to. We already know there are lots of different strains. That's how recent studies here have traced the majority of cases we currently have to a strain picked up by Brits holidaying in Spain and elsewhere in Europe over the summer.
Holidaymakers to Spain are responsible for the majority of the UK's coronavirus cases, a new study suggests.
www.standard.co.uk
A new report identifies that UK and foreign travel was the trigger for the second wave of the pandemic.
www.bbc.co.uk
Similarly Iceland traced the source of infections coming into the country.
The tiny island nation has managed to turn the tide on the disease thanks to comprehensive genetic analysis of the virus
www.telegraph.co.uk
Worth remembering there is already numerous variants out there so the chances of this impacting on the vaccine program are minimal.