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The new variant of the coronavirus discovered in Britain with a higher transmission rate is not yet out of control, the World Health Organization said on Monday, urging action to help stop its spread.
FILE: A photo shows the logo of the World Health Organization (WHO) at its headquarters in Geneva. Image: AFP
GENEVA – The new coronavirus variant discovered in Britain with a higher transmission rate is not yet out of control and can be contained with existing measures, the World Health Organization said on Monday.
“We have had a much higher (contamination rate) at different points in this pandemic and we have it under control,” WHO emergency chief Michael Ryan told a news conference.
“So this situation is not out of control in that sense. But it cannot be left to its own devices.”
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock had previously claimed that the new strain was “out of control”, and British officials said it was 70 percent more transmissible than the main strain.
“The measures that we currently have in place are the correct measures,” Ryan said.
“We have to do what we’ve been doing, we may have to do it a little more intensely and for a little longer to make sure we can control this virus.”
About 30 countries closed their borders to people traveling from Britain or South Africa, where another variant has emerged, to stop any spread.
“In a sense, it means we have to work harder,” Ryan said. “Even if the virus has become a little more efficient at spreading, it can be stopped.”
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