South Africa also discovers a new variant of the coronavirus

Nail new variant The coronavirus is causing a rebound in disease in South Africa, including cases, hospitalizations and deaths, local authorities have reported.

The new strain, call 501.V2, is present in the most recent infections in South Africa, the country’s health authorities and scientific experts said.

The new variant, different from the one that appeared in Britain, apparently it’s even more contagious than the original version. South African scientists find out if the COVID-19 vaccine also protects against the new version.

Professor Salim Abdool Karim, The chairman of the ministerial committee, which advises the government, said in a briefing with reporters that, according to preliminary data, the new type of virus is the most dominant in the new wave of infections in South Africa.

The evidence gathered “strongly suggests that the second wave we are experiencing is being driven by this new variant,” the South African Minister of Health said. Zweli Mkhize, during a virtual briefing last Friday.

Variant, without constraint

Professor Ian Sanne, A member of the South African Ministerial Advisory Committee on Covid-19, said on Monday that he a new variant and not from a new strain.

“A new strain would cause a lot more concern about all the hard work that has been done so far. Basically we would go back to zero and we would be dealing with a new strain of virus circulating around the world. is not the case, ”he stressed. Sanne in statements to the EWN news portal.

“This is a variant and have genetic changes. This represents a viral evolution, ”said the professor.

The appearance of a new variant of the coronavirus in the UK over the weekend forced UK authorities to put in place severe restrictive measures across much of the country due to the alarming increase in covid-19 cases , because many countries have banned flights to Britain.

However, Sanne, an infectious disease specialist, noted that the South African variant is different from that found in the UK. “The variant is not the same as the UK variant. There are two different viruses, but they are different variations of the same strain coronavirus, ”explained the professor.

The new South African variant, he continued, is more transmissible and has a higher viral load, but we do not know if it is more dangerous.

“It hasn’t been established yet, but what we’re seeing are much higher case rates and transmissions. they shot (…). It means people need to protect themselves. It is disinfecting the hands, wearing masks and avoiding unnecessary movements between provinces, ”concluded Sanne.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa issued new restrictions on the 14th in an attempt to stop the second wave of covid-19 and warned that, unless they are met, “it will be last Christmas for many. many South Africans “.

The second wave is led by four provinces: the Western Cape, where Cape Town is located; Eastern Cape, KwaZulu Natal and Gauteng, home to Johannesburg – the country’s largest city – and Pretoria, the South African capital.

South Africa had maintained infections under control since August, after a few difficult months during which it was not only the great epicenter of covid-19 in Africa, but also the fifth nation in the world more success for the pandemic.

In recent months, however, the number of new daily cases has increased rapidly, especially in the four provinces mentioned above.

South Africa remains, by far, the country hardest hit by the coronavirus in all of Africa, having recorded, to date, 921,922 cases, of which 24,691 have resulted in death and 787,782 are already cured patients .

South Africa currently has more than 8,500 people hospitalized with COVID-19, compared to the previous record of 8,300 recorded in August.

On the continent there has been 2.5 million infections, 59,099 deaths and 2.1 million recoveries since the detection of the first continental case in Egypt on February 14, according to data released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Africa (CDC Africa).

EFE AND AP

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