New strain of coronavirus discovered in South Africa: different from the British

The doctor responsible for emerging diseases and zoonoses of World Health Organization (WHO), Maria Van Kerkhove, confirmed that the strain of coronavirus found in South Africa it is different from the one found in the UK.

The last Friday, South African Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize, announced the identification of a del variant of the SARS-cov-2 virus (COVID-19); currently referred to as ‘501.V2 variant’, and reported that in the second wave of infections, the virus spreads faster.

“This variant has one of the same mutations as the UK one but is different. The South Africans are working with the WHO and cultivating the virus to be able to carry out more studies like those underway in the United Kingdom ”, detailed the expert, to thank the people who make the complete sequences of the virus.

Everything we know about the new strain of coronavirus in the UK

Regarding the British strain, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, reported on Monday that as of yet there is no evidence showing that the new strain of coronavirus detected in the UK is “more deadly” or causing “more serious” disease.

WHO says, as of yet, there is no evidence the new strain is “more deadly”

The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, reported on Monday that for now no test to show that the nThe new strain of coronavirus detected in the UK is either “more deadly” or causing “more serious” illness.

“We are working with scientists and researchers to see how the virus behaves,” Tedros said at a press conference, stressing the need to stop the transmission of the virus “as soon as possible”, warning that the more it is allowed to spread, “the more likely it is to mutate.”

In this sense, the doctor responsible for emerging diseases and zoonoses of the World Health Organization (WHO), Maria Van Kerkhove, reported that what has been observed currently, concerning this new strain, is that it appears to have greater transmissibility, although he indicated that the UK is analyzing all aspects related to this strain.

“There is currently no evidence of an increase in severity associated with this variant. Work is underway to study the transmission of the virus and its increase to determine how this variant is transmitted, but it is still not known that this virus will change its severity or the value of vaccines ”, underlined the director of health emergencies of QUI , Michael Ryan.

Covid-19 vaccines would be effective against the new British strain

Continue with measures to slow down transmission

For this reason, Tedros asked countries and citizens that beyond the next arrival of the vaccinations against Covid-19, take all necessary measures to prevent contagion, also protecting health professionals.

“The toilet has never had a more difficult year than this one. a festive season and the best gift for them, it is that political leaders and citizens take the necessary precautions to avoid putting even more pressure on health systems, ”he added.

That said, Tedros commented that vaccines “are not an excuse” for people to stop being careful about the virus, so he reiterated the importance of “doubling” support to basic health services.

“We see groups that they insist, with a dishonest account, that the virus only affects the elderly and that with vaccines we can relax. The Covid-19 attacks all people, including children, and all bodily systems, ”warned the Director General of the WHO, to stress the importance of ensuring access to vaccines in all regions of the world.