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According to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the new variant of the corona virus discovered in Britain is up to 70 percent more contagious than the known form based on initial findings. But there is no evidence that vaccines are less effective, Johnson said Saturday. “There are still many things that we do not know. But there is no evidence that the new variant causes more or more serious pathological processes. ”
The experts who observe and investigate the variants of the virus have also been unable to confirm this. Several variants of the coronavirus have already been found since the start of the pandemic. A higher mortality rate for the VUI2020 / 12/01 virus variant has not yet been determined.
The government’s top scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, emphasized that in December 60 percent of new infections in London affected the new variant. “It is spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variety,” he said.
He could imagine that the mutation existed in other countries too, but a major outbreak in Britain anyway. “It could have started here, but we don’t know for sure,” Vallance said.
Due to the mutation of the coronavirus, the government significantly tightened the restrictions for London starting this Sunday. “If the virus changes its method of attack, we will have to change our method of defense,” Johnson said. The previous three-stage corona warning system has now been expanded to four, including the capital and other regions in the southeast.
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There, residents can only leave their homes for important reasons, such as going to the doctor or going to work. Even at Christmas she shouldn’t be meeting members of other households, Johnson stressed. “We can’t spend Christmas as planned.” All non-essential businesses and other facilities, such as gyms or hair salons, must close. Residents of the highest level 4 of Corona cannot leave this zone.
More recently, South African scientists discovered a new variant and sent the results of their research to the British authorities. The 501st V2 variant could be behind the rapid spread of the second corona wave in the country, South African Health Minister Zwelini Mkhize said on Friday.
More young people are said to have been infected in South Africa
According to South African doctors, more young people were infected during the second wave than before. The new variant of the virus was discovered by a research team led by South Africa’s Kwazulu-Natal Research Sequencing and Innovation Platform (KRISP), which had examined hundreds of samples since the start of the pandemic. It was not yet clear whether disease progression was more severe with the new variant of the virus.
It is also not clear yet whether the appearance of the new variant will affect future vaccinations. However, previous government strategies should not be changed. Health Minister Zwelini Mkhize said on Twitter on Friday that the vaccination program will continue as long as there are no new findings.
There will be no additional measures, Mkhize wrote. He called on young people to wear masks, follow hygiene measures and find alternative ways to spend the holidays.
The World Health Organization is in contact with the South African researchers. According to WHO expert Maria Van Kerkhove, there is no evidence that the new variant behaves differently from those already described.
The South African government imposed a nationwide exit restriction in late March to contain the spread of the virus and tightened it again slightly after a temporary withdrawal at the start of the Christmas season. South Africa is one of the African countries hardest hit by the corona pandemic. By Friday, more than 900,000 people in the country with its nearly 60 million residents were infected with the virus and more than 24,000 died. (Tsp, dpa)
