Updated: December 22, 2020 5:40:02 am
Only a detailed scientific analysis will reveal the extent of the problem, which could take a few weeks to generate results. (AP)
The move to temporarily suspend passenger flight links with the UK goes, as the Union Health Secretary put it, in the direction of “increased epidemiological surveillance and containment.”
The most recent threat assessment report from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control stresses that “viruses are constantly changing through mutations and the emergence of a new variant is an expected occurrence and not in itself a cause for concern. ”.
Information on the severity of the new variant is still very limited and no conclusions have been reached on the reasons for the increased transmissibility.
As such, restrictions on non-essential travel to and from the affected country are due to great caution at an early stage.
Publishing information on the new SARS-CoV-2 variant on Sunday, Public Health England (PHE) said that while the new strain is more easily transmitted than the previous variant, “there is no evidence that it is more likely to cause disease. severe or mortality “.
Therefore, there are no changes in the measures that must be taken to control the spread of the virus. “The way to control this virus is the same, whatever the variant. It will not spread if we avoid close contact with others. Wash your hands, wear a mask, stay away from others and reduce your social contacts, ”said PHE.
Only a detailed scientific analysis will reveal the extent of the problem, which could take a few weeks to generate results. COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK), the consortium that notified the emergence of the new variant to UK health authorities, said: “It is difficult to predict whether a given mutation is important when it first arises, in a context of the continuous appearance of new mutations. It would take considerable time and effort to test the effect of thousands of combinations of mutations. “
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