[ad_1]
New variant of coronavirus discovered in UK, spreading faster, “is not out of control,” said the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday, who asked that sanitary measures that have already proven their effectiveness continue to be applied.
(It may interest you: The countries that have detected the new strain of covid-19)
“We have recorded an R0 (virus reproduction rate) much higher than 1.5 at different times during this pandemic, and we have controlled it. This situation, in that sense, is not out of control “, declared the head of health emergencies of the WHO, Michael Ryan, at a press conference.
His statements echoed those of the British Health Minister, Matt Hancock, who on Sunday claimed that “the new strain of the coronavirus was out of control.”
In Geneva, Ryan estimated on Monday that “Although the virus has become a little more efficient in terms of spreading, it can be stopped.”
“The current measures are good. We must continue to do what we have done” until now, said the senior official. “We may have to do it with a little more intensity and for a little longer to make sure we can control this virus, “he added.
(Also read: What you should know about the EU endorsement of the Pfizer vaccine)
The United Kingdom has more than 2 million cases and more than 67,000 deaths from covid-19.
Furthermore, the WHO stated that there is no evidence that the new strain or variant of the coronavirus cause a more serious infection or affect the effectiveness of available diagnostic tests and vaccines.
British officials have informed the organization “that they do not believe this will have any impact on the vaccine,” said the head of the anticovid technical cell at the WHO, Maria Von Kerkhove.
(Also read: What is known about the new strain of covid-19 that appeared in the United Kingdom?)
Instead, the expert confirmed that the new strain would be transmitted more easily, which explains that in the United Kingdom the rate of reproduction of the virus (how many people are contaminated for each infected) has gone from 1.1 to 1.5 coinciding with the spread of this variant.
Van Kerkhove also clarified that the new coronavirus variant identified in the UK it is not the same as the one discovered in South Africa. The confusion arose from the fact that the two strains were identified almost simultaneously.
“Science and governments are being very cautious about these new mutations, but at this point there is no evidence that they change the severity of the disease or the effectiveness of diagnostics and vaccines,” Ryan added.
“We are entering the holiday period, we need to stop the broadcast and we know how to do it,” he said. and both he and Van Kerkhove reiterated the need to maintain measures such as physical distancing, the use of masks, frequent hand washing and avoiding crowded and poorly ventilated places.
(You may be interested: WHO asks that a mask be used at Christmas family gatherings)
“Viruses mutate, it is natural and we have to wait for this”, added the general director of the
WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the beginning of the press conference
It may interest you
– The Drama of UK Travelers Trapped in Germany
– Alarm in Europe: new strain accelerates covid transmission by 70%
– How worrying is the new mutation of covid-19 in the UK?
