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Over the holiday weekend, more than a dozen countries reported cases related to the UK variant of SARS-CoV-2, with some reporting their first cases of a similar but different South African variant.
As the world approached 1 year from the first media reports of an unusual pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, China, the global case count surpassed 80 million.
Variant detected in several countries
Following the recent detection of the UK’s most transmissible variant, several more countries spanning multiple continents reported their first detections over the weekend, prompting more travel bans and other related measures to slow the spread.
In North America, the Public Health Agency of Canada reported two cases in Ontario on December 26, both in people who did not travel outside of Canada. The country extended its ban on flights from the UK until January 6.
At least 14 other countries in recent days have reported similar cases, according to official sources and media reports, including France, Japan, Denmark, South Korea, Finland, Sweden, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Lebanon, Singapore. and Australia.
Some countries also reported their first detections of a similar South African variant, including the United Kingdom and Finland.
In other variant developments, another new variant has been reported from Nigeria, according to CBS News. John Nkengasong, PhD, of the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Nigerian scientists and those at the African Center of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases are conducting more research.
Scientists rush to see how the variants behave
At a World Health Organization (WHO) briefing, Maria Van Kerkhove, PhD, the group’s technical lead for COVID-19, said WHO is in contact with UK officials on a daily basis and that researchers were working during lab study holidays to learn more. on virus variants, including antibody response. He said a new case-control study from the UK suggests there are no differences in hospitalizations, 28-day case fatality rates or reinfections.
Van Kerkhove also said that South African researchers are currently cultivating the virus to allow for neutralization and other studies and that officials are also examining the epidemiology of diseases involving the new variant.
“Laboratory studies take time and we hope to get more information in the coming days and weeks,” he said.
In a December 23 prepress study, UK researchers estimated the variant to be 56% more transmissible, likely leading to a large increase in incidence, with hospitalizations and deaths likely to reach even higher levels. However, they found no clear evidence that the severity of the variant is different from that of existing viruses.
Following variants, cases skyrocket in the UK and South Africa
Meanwhile, the UK today reported a new single day record of 41,385 cases. In a statement, Yvonne Doyle, MD, MPH, Medical Director of Public Health England (PHE), said: “This very high level of infection is a growing concern at a time when our hospitals are at their most vulnerable, with new admissions increasing in many regions. ” A few days ago, PHE said that lateral flow tests can detect the new UK variant.
In South Africa, where cases are also increasing, President Cyril Ramaphosa today announced new restrictions on meetings, a new curfew and a ban on the sale of alcohol, “according to the BBC. He said the country is at a point dangerous from the pandemic and that hospitals and medical centers are reporting large increases in admissions.
WHO officials emphasized today that reducing transmission gives the virus fewer opportunities to change and that making the best use of current measures such as physical distancing, face masks and now vaccination can help reduce the spread of the variants. of the virus. Van Kerkhove said the variant developments are another wake-up call that the world needs even more determination to fight COVID-19. “I know we are all fed up, but we cannot lose this battle now,” he said. “We need to work to reduce risk everywhere we can.”
Other global developments
For the second year in a row, China is warning against Lunar New Year travel in some areas, due to the threat of COVID-19 spread, after local cases were reported in two areas, mainly in Dalian, a port city in the north. according to the New York Times. During the past week, the country reported 42 new cases, most from unknown sources. Although most were in Dalian, some cases were also reported in Beijing.
Dalian residents have been asked not to leave the city, and Beijing officials are discouraging travel and gatherings, especially for older people, pregnant women and people with underlying health problems.
In other world headlines:
- Vaccination campaigns were launched yesterday in European Union countries, following the approval of emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on December 21 by the European Medicines Agency, according to CNN.
- AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot told the sunday time that the new data will show that the vaccine it developed with the University of Oxford is on par with the 95% effectiveness reported by two manufacturers of mRNA vaccines. He said that with two doses, the efficacy will be comparable, but declined to reveal more details before publication.
- The world total is currently 81,114,788 cases, and 1,770,562 people have died from their infections, according to the Johns Hopkins online panel.
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