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Pedestrians walk past a Debenhams shop window on Oxford Street in central London on December 22, 2020. – UK government loans continued to rise in November in emergency action to support the economy hit by the virus that, however, recovered stronger than expected in the third. quarter, official data showed Tuesday. Government loans last month reached 31.6 billion pounds (41.8 billion dollars, 34.2 billion euros), a record for November, bringing net public sector debt to 2.1 trillion pounds, said the Office of National Statistics in a statement. (Photo by Tolga Akmen / AFP)
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday there is no evidence yet that the new variant of the coronavirus detected in the United Kingdom exacerbates the disease or makes the vaccines being rolled out ineffective.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson previously announced the implementation of stricter restrictions in his country ahead of the holidays after scientists found a more infectious variant of the virus that he says “may be up to 70 percent more transmittable. than the previous strain. ” (See related story on page B4)
This led a large number of countries to impose a travel ban on the UK. These include Germany, Italy, Canada, Turkey, and Switzerland.
According to the UK report to the WHO, an increase in transmission was detected in the south east of England from late November to early December despite existing interventions.
Ongoing studies
Dr Mike Ryan, head of the WHO Health Emergencies Program, said during an online briefing that studies were underway, but there was “no evidence at this time that there is an increase in severity associated with this disease. “.
“We have seen many variants emerge in recent months. Some had been successful, others had not been as successful in establishing themselves as part of the driving force behind COVID-19, ”Ryan said.
“What neither variant has done yet is establish itself with a higher level of severity or evade our diagnoses or hide from vaccines or the effectiveness of vaccines. It remains to be seen with some new variant. That is why it is important that we continue with the work ”, he added.
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Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO Health Emergencies Technical Lead, said this increase is associated with what British authorities called the SARS-CoV-2 B117 lineage, which includes the N501Y mutation in the spike gene. of the coronavirus that causes COVID. -19.
“What they have told us is that they are looking for an increase in the number of reproduction of approximately 0.4, going from 1.1 to 1.5. They are trying to determine how much is associated with the variant itself, as well as the behavioral differences in the individuals that this variant has infected, ”said Kerkhove.
He said that in addition to ongoing research on how this variant affected the severity of the disease, there were also studies on whether it had an impact on the antibody response. The results of these studies were expected in the coming weeks, he added.
Dangerous in any way
Regardless of the variant, however, Kerkhove emphasized that “SARS-CoV-2, in any form, is a dangerous virus.”
He urged everyone to do their part to ensure that they minimize the risk of becoming infected, especially since the holidays are only a few days away.
“We say know your risk, reduce your risk. There are things you can do on an individual level, ”he said.
He cited physical distancing, wearing masks, washing hands, practicing respiratory etiquette, avoiding crowded spaces, and avoiding closed areas with poor ventilation.
“The activities we undertake to minimize our own exposure are applicable to any SARS-CoV-2 virus that is circulating, including the new variant that has been identified in the UK,” he added. INQ
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