A new coronavirus variant of concern known as B.1.617.2, first identified in India, appears to be less likely to be vaccine-resistant than other variants, English Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty has said.

Whitty said the B.1.617.2 variant was a concern and health officials were keeping a close eye on it.

“Our view is that this is a highly transmissible variant ... [but] at this point in time, our view is it is less likely to be able to escape vaccination than some of the other variants,” he said at a news conference.

“But the data are not properly in there. So I think we need to be cautious until we've seen clear data that give us an answer one way or the other.”