[ad_1]
Professor Ian Sanne, a member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19, said there is a big difference between a ‘strain’ and a ‘variant’ following the announcement of two new variants of the virus.
JOHANNESBURG – South Africa, along with the rest of the world, has been trying to digest the news of two new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
Nicknamed the 501.V2 variant, it was first detected in Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape and has since spread to several other provinces.
Since then, people have been using the words “new strain” and “new variant” interchangeability on social media and in various media reports.
Professor Ian Sanne, a member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19, said it was important that we use the correct terms for the correct context.
“A new variety would cause much greater concern around 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 the world. But that is not the case. This is a variant and has some genetic changes. It represents the viral evolution ”.
Over the weekend, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson essentially canceled Christmas, saying millions should cancel Christmas plans and stay home because the new COVID-19 variant was spreading much faster.
Professor Sanne noted that the South African variant was not the same as the one discovered in the UK
“The variant is not the same as the UK variant. There are two different viruses, but they are different variants of the same coronavirus strain. “
He noted that the new variant was more transmissible and had a higher viral load.
So does the higher viral load mean it’s more dangerous?
“That hasn’t been established yet, but what we’re seeing are much higher transmission and case rates. Case rates have skyrocketed … it means people need to protect themselves. That is disinfecting hands, wearing masks and avoiding unnecessary movement between provinces. ”Sanne said.
The professor cautioned that the new strain is more contagious than the previous dominant variant, further emphasizing the importance of adhering to COVID-19 health and safety rules more than ever.
For more information, listen to the audio below:
Download the EWN app on your iOS or Android device.
[ad_2]
