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The World Health Organization (WHO) is in close contact with British health authorities, WHO officials said in response to news that a new variant of the coronavirus has emerged that appears to be spreading more rapidly in Britain, writes the BBC.
So far it has been assumed that the new variant spreads faster, but it does not appear to be more lethal. Due to the emergence of the new type of virus, Boris Johnson subjected a significant part of the south-east of England, including London, to the most severe restrictions on Saturday, so many people cannot go anywhere at Christmas. Since then, the Netherlands has indicated that it will temporarily not accept any more planes from Britain.
The WHO has also stated that it will keep the authorities of its member states informed of any developments. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Saturday that while significant uncertainties still exist in this regard, the new variant appears to be spreading 70 percent more effectively than the version known so far. However, there is no evidence that it is more lethal, nor that the vaccines developed are not effective against this variant.
British Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty believes that while the new development will make things worse now, they may remain optimistic about the arrival of the vaccine, as the vaccine is currently supposed to be effective.
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