The mutant strain of the coronavirus is behind 20pc of all positive cases in Norfolk but a scientist has urged people to "calm down and wait to see what happens".
Dr Andrew Page, head of informatics at Norwich's Quadram Institute, which is at the helm of identifying and tracking new strains of the virus, told Radio Norfolk researchers have been looking into the new lineage of the virus for several weeks.
He said there were currently 29 different mutations of the virus circulating in Norfolk and out of them, three or four were causing the biggest problems.
These included outbreaks in chicken factories and prisons and Dr Page added circulation in the community remained relatively low.
He urged people to get the vaccine adding: "There is no evidence to suggest the vaccine wont work with the new strain."
He added that the latest mutation was linked to the surge in cases in Wymondham in the beginning of November but it was mostly affecting areas around Norwich adding: "It isn't something to worry about."
This was partly due to a number of vaccines in the pipeline.
The revelation comes after health secretary Matt Hancock spoke about the mutation during his House of Commons appearance on December 14 while announcing that London, most of Essex, and parts of Hertfordshire would move into Tier Three restrictions.
Last month, 10pc of cases in London were linked to the new strain and in Suffolk 3pc of positive cases were connected to the mutation.
Dr Page said: "Mutations happen all the time. We don't know why it is worse than normal. It is going to take time to figure this out.
"People should calm down and wait to see what happens. There are bigger problems including people coming back from holiday and not self-isolating. Hopefully this isn't a problem."
Health Secretary: Nothing To Suggest Vaccine Will Not Work
The scientist said the UK was a world-leader in identifying new strains of coronavirus and Norfolk was well-placed in terms of reliable testing.
He added there was no cause for concern that the new strain would push Norfolk into Tier 3.
Dr Page said his biggest concern was the impact of the virus om care homes, an area he is working on.
A Norfolk County Council spokesperson said: "Throughout this pandemic we have been supported by the Quadram Institute who are undertaking cutting edge genomics research monitoring the many different variants of the virus that are circulating."
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