At the request of South Africa, a special working group of the World Health Organization will examine the new virus tomorrow. The B.1.1.529 variant may also be designated with a letter from the Greek alphabet, such as the now dominant delta variant.
South African corona specialist Tulio de Oliveira says the new variant has many mutations, including more than thirty mutations that are important for spread. “We see that the virus could potentially spread very quickly. We think the health system will be under pressure in the coming days and weeks.”
Discovered quickly
University of Cambridge professor of microbiology Ravindra Gupta told the AP news agency that time is needed to determine whether this variant is responsible for the rapid increase in the number of infections. “There’s a good chance,” he said, praising the South African scientists for discovering the variant and publicizing its existence so quickly.
This is also the opinion of the Dutch doctor Hugo Tempelman, who works in South Africa and is involved in research into the variant. “I am very proud that this was discovered in South Africa,” he said in NOS With a view to Tomorrow. “We have a number of top laboratories here and they are very keen on detecting new variants early.” According to Tempelman, there is justifiable cause for concern, because it is still unclear exactly what consequences the mutations of this variant have for people who become infected and whether vaccines still work well.
Only 24 percent of South Africa’s residents are fully vaccinated and the number of vaccinations per day is less than half of the government’s target of 300,000.
Measures Israel and UK
Israel has put South Africa and its neighbors on the “red” list. Whoever comes from such a country and is not a resident of Israel does not enter Israel. Travelers returning to Israel from those countries must quarantine for seven days at a location designated by the state. They are not allowed to leave until they can show negative results from two PCR tests.
The United Kingdom is also taking measures. From Friday afternoon, all flights from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho and eSwatini will be banned. Also, all travelers entering the UK from these countries by other means are required to be quarantined.
British Health Minister Javid says he is “deeply concerned” about the new variant, but he emphasizes that more research is needed.
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