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LONDON, KOMPAS.com – The World Health Organization (WHO) said it had communicated with British officials about the emergence of a new variant of the coronavirus.
This new variant spreads faster than the original version of the virus, but is believed to be no more deadly.
Much of south-east England, including London, is now under new stricter restrictions in a bid to contain the rapid spread of the virus.
Also read: A new variant of the Corona Virus appears in the UK, Europe is busy closing borders
There is no evidence to suggest that this new variant reacts differently to vaccines.
The move comes after a sampling in the Netherlands earlier this month showed a new variant of the coronavirus similar to that found in Britain.
While waiting for “clarity” on the situation in Britain, the Dutch government said that “the risk of a new strain of virus being introduced into the Netherlands should be minimized as much as possible.”
The Dutch government also said it will work with other EU member states in the coming days to “explore the scope of limiting the risk of this strain of the virus brought in from Britain.”
What do we know about the new variant of the virus?
The WHO wrote on Twitter that it had been in contact with British officials regarding the new variant.
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He said the UK is also sharing information from ongoing studies of the virus mutation, and that the WHO will provide new information to member states and the public “as we learn more about the characteristics of this variant of the virus. [dan] the implication “.
Despite “considerable uncertainty”, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the new variant may be 70 percent more contagious than the old one.
But officials say there is no current evidence to suggest the new variant causes a higher death rate or reacts differently to existing vaccines or treatments.
Earlier, Britain’s Health Secretary Matt Hancock informed legislators in the Lower House that at least 60 local governments had recorded infections caused by the new variant.
Hancock explained that last week, there was a sharp and exponential increase in coronavirus infections in London, Kent, parts of Essex and Hertfordshire.
Also read: Know the mutation and transmission of the new variant of the Corona Virus, what is the difference?
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.“We currently identify more than 1000 cases with this variant mainly in the south of England, although cases have been found in almost 60 administrative regions.
“We don’t know how far [lonjakan] this is due to a new variant, but whatever the cause, we have to take swift and decisive action which, unfortunately, is vital to control this deadly disease while vaccines are available.
British Medical Director Professor Chris Whitty said that available swab tests for the coronavirus would detect new variants that have been found mainly in Kent and surrounding areas in recent weeks.
Changes or mutations occur in “hook” or spike In the virus, the part that helps it infect cells and targets the Covid vaccines that are being developed.
Also read: British Health Minister: new variant of the corona virus out of control
It is too early to know for sure what effect these changes will have on viral behavior.
Professor Alan McNally, an expert from the University of Birmingham, said BBC: “Don’t panic. It doesn’t make sense [virus] more contagious or more infectious or more dangerous.
“It just came to our knowledge then.
“Great efforts are being made to characterize this variant and understand its emergence. We must remain calm and have a rational vision because this is a normal viral evolution and we expect new variants to appear and disappear over time.”
Wellcome Director Dr. Jeremy Farrar said this could be a serious problem. “Monitoring and investigation must continue and we must take the necessary measures to prevent the virus.”
Also read: 5 countries that have and will ban flights from the UK due to the new Corona variant
Analysis by James Gallagher, Science and Health Correspondent BBC news
There are simple rules for understanding a “new strain” or “new variant” of a virus: Ask if the behavior of the virus has changed.
This is very important because viruses are mutating all the time, and that is normal.
Matt Hancock said that the new variant of the coronavirus “may be related” to a more rapid spread in south-east England.
This is not the same as saying that the variant “caused” an increase in cases and Hancock is not saying that the virus has evolved to be easier to spread from person to person.
New strains or strains may become more common for reasons unrelated to viruses.
One explanation for the appearance of the “Spanish strain” during the summer is tourism.
Also read: England admits that the new variant of the corona virus is spreading faster
So right now there are scary headlines all over the place, but there is still no detailed scientific evidence to know how significant this discovery is.
Professor Jonathan Ball, Professor of Molecular Virology at the University of Nottingham, said: “ The genetic information of many viruses can change very quickly and sometimes these mutations can benefit the virus, by allowing it to spread more efficiently. or escape vaccines or drugs, but there are many mutations. which had no effect at all.
“Although new genetic variants of the virus have emerged and spread in many parts of the UK and around the world, this could have happened by chance,” he said.
“Therefore, it is important for us to study any genetic changes that occur, to find out if these changes affect the behavior of the virus, and until we finish this important work, it is too early to make any claims about the possible impact of viral mutations.” .
Also read: Discovery of a new variant of the corona virus raises new concerns in the UK
