covid-19 variant

Covid-19: A worrisome new variant in South Africa

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Vaccination rates in South Africa are falling far short of the nation’s goal, administering only 130,000 out of a daily goal of 300,000. Jerome Delay/Associated Press

A new variant of the coronavirus, whose mutations show evidence of a “big jump in evolution,” is driving an increase in new Covid-19 infections in South Africa, health officials said yesterday. Scientists have so far detected 22 cases of the B1.1.529 variant in Gauteng Province, the country’s economic hub.

Botswana’s health ministry confirmed that four cases of the variant had been detected in people who were all fully vaccinated. All four were tested before planned travel. One sample was also detected in Hong Kong, carried by a traveler from South Africa, South African scientists said.

The variant is alarming because of the density of its mutations, raising fears that it could be highly contagious. Scientist still do not know how effective existing vaccines will be against it, as it shares similarities with the Lambda and Beta variants, both of which are associated with an innate evasion of immunity.

Naming rites: South African scientists will meet with the W.H.O. technical team today and assign a letter of the Greek alphabet to the variant.

Response:

Britain will temporarily ban flights from six African countries, including South Africa, as the British health authorities investigate the variant.

Here are the latest updates and maps of the pandemic.

(source: New York Times)

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