New variant of Covid-19 discovered in Turkey

Turkish authorities announced on Monday that they had discovered new variants of COVID-19 in the western coastal province of Izmir (Smyrna).

In a statement, the Izmir Medical Chamber and the Association for Clinical Microbiology Expertise said that in addition to the main mutations of the virus – the Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta variants – new types have also been discovered.

“Nucleic acid sequence analyzes should be released and the results should be shared openly with the public, in order to investigate the characteristics of these variants,” Chamber said, according to the Ahval news site.

Reports indicate that in the analysis carried out with PCR kits targeting three major mutations in the Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta variants in Izmir, strains which do not carry the three mutations were detected.

here are also strains that carry these mutations in different combinations.

The announcement fueled speculation that there is a variant of Covid-19 exclusive to Turkey. While the country recorded 18,857 new infections on Monday and 232 deaths, the most daily since the end of May, Turkish scientists are working on research to determine if there is an exclusive Turkish variant.

Research underway in Turkey for a possible new variant of Covid

Daily sabah reports that at Istanbul University, researchers are drawing up the genome map of Turkey for this sole purpose. So far, they’ve analyzed samples from 500 patients from across the country and they want to double those numbers.

Turkey, like the rest of the world, is grappling with emerging variants like the Delta and Delta Plus, after more than a year since the start of the pandemic. Scientists suggest modifications in vaccination programs and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests to correctly identify patients infected with variants.

Genome mapping will help the country identify any new variants that may affect the Turkish public exclusively. Researchers hope to find answers in a few months. “The answers could change the way we fight the pandemic, from its diagnosis to its treatment,” Dr Faruk Berat Akçeşme told DHA on Monday.

He said that in addition to finding a variant exclusive to Turkey, their work aimed to map any potential variants from abroad that may exist in the country and remain unknown until now.

The number of Covid-19 cases in Turkey fell from less than 5,000 a day in early July, when the government relaxed restrictions on movement of the population, to more than 20,000 at the end of last month, the lowest levels. higher since April.

Vaccination rates in Turkey are lower than the averages seen in Europe. The country has vaccinated some 35.5 million adults with two doses, according to data from the Ministry of Health. Turkey has a population of around 85 million, which means that the number equates to only 41.8% of the citizens.

In the EU, the total inoculation rate now stands at 55.6 percent.