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South Africa’s Health Minister Dr Zwelini Mkhize has challenged a statement by his UK counterpart Matt Hancock about South Africa’s link to the mutated strain of the coronavirus that has been spreading in the UK.
The UK health secretary said at a press conference earlier this week that a second new variant of the coronavirus was detected in the UK, first discovered in South Africa.
As a result, he implemented travel restrictions for those entering South Africa, while the health secretary urged those who had arrived from the country to isolate themselves for two weeks.
“As part of our surveillance, and thanks to the impressive genomic capabilities of South Africans, we have detected two cases of another new coronavirus variant here in the UK.
“They are both case contacts who have traveled from South Africa in recent weeks,” he said.
“This new variant is very concerning, because it is even more transmissible and appears to have mutated more than the new variant that has been discovered here,” Hancock said.
New variant
Dr. Mkhize said the government had taken note of Hancock’s report, “and we must place on record our concern that some of his statements have created the perception that the SA variant has been a major factor in the second wave in the United Kingdom. This is not correct”.
“There is evidence that the UK variant was developed earlier than the South African variant,” he said.
He said that on December 14, the UK informed the WHO that a variant had been identified and that it dated back to September 20, 2020 in Kent, south-east England, about a month before the South African variant appeared to have developed.
This variant has a mutation that occurs in a common site with the South African variant (501), although they are two completely independent lineages, the minister said.
The UK variant is believed to be driving the second wave that the UK is currently experiencing.
“Furthermore, the UK variant has already been identified outside the UK, as reported by Professor Neil Ferguson, a leading British scientist who told the UK science and technology committee two days ago (23 December 2020) that evidence from Denmark, a country with a relatively low infection rate suggests that the new variant of the virus identified in the UK is ‘almost certainly’ already found in the ‘vast majority, if not all’ countries Europeans ”.
Dr Mkhize said he is also concerned that rhetoric is developing that the 501.V2 variant is more transmissible than the UK variant or may potentially cause more serious morbidity and mortality.
“This came from two samples collected from South African travelers’ contacts that tested positive for a SARS-COV-2 variant genetically identical to 501.V2.
“We have consulted with our genomics team who have assured us that, at present, there is no evidence that 501.V2 is more transmissible than the UK variant, as suggested by the UK health secretary.
“There is also no evidence that 501.V2 causes more severe disease or increased mortality than the UK variant or any variant that has been sequenced around the world.”
He said banning travel between the UK and South Africa is an unfortunate decision. Such a decision would require more scientific evidence than is currently available.
“There is no evidence that the SA variant is more pathogenic than the UK variant to necessitate this step,” he said.
On Wednesday night, South Africa’s health minister announced 14,305 new infections in the country, bringing positive cases to 968,563.
The total number of deaths is 25,983, after 326 more deaths during the last 24-hour period, and the total number of recoveries is 822,978.
# COVID-19 Statistics in SA as of December 24.
Use the COVID Alert SA app to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your community. Start using this privacy-preserving app today! Add your phone to the fight! Download the Covid Alert SA app now! https://t.co/8YKEqaiiRF pic.twitter.com/uEv6zTlZ3N
– Dr. Zweli Mkhize (@DrZweliMkhize) Dec 24, 2020
Read: Covid-19 Rise In South Africa Driven By New Variant
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