Havana, Cuba: While all eyes focus their attention today on the development of vaccines and immunization to control the Covid-19 pandemic, new strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which cause this disease, put on alert to the world, Prensa Latina publishes.
On December 19, medical and scientific authorities in the United Kingdom warned about the new threat identified in that country, which – they warned – could spread much faster.
According to the chief medical officer for England, Chris Whitty, at the moment there is no evidence that the strain causes an increase in the number of deaths or that it affects the treatments or vaccine candidates applied against the disease.
As if this were not enough, on December 23 the British Health Minister, Matt Hancock, reported the discovery of a second new variant of the coronavirus, even more contagious than that previously identified in southern England.
As explained by the official, this strain was detected in two patients who were in contact with people who traveled to South Africa, so it is believed that the mutation was originated in that southern African nation.
The deputy director of Public Health for England, Jenny Harries, said that the new strain is highly contagious and like the previous one it is spreading more rapidly in London and the south-east of England.
South Africa, for its part, ruled out that the new variant of the coronavirus detected in the country is more transmissible or has a higher mortality rate compared to that initially found in the United Kingdom.
The Health Minister of the African country, Zweli Mkhize, emphasized in a statement that according to scientific evidence the UK variant was developed in advance of the South African one.
Likewise, he ruled out that the South African variant is more transmissible than the British variant or may cause more serious morbidity and mortality.
Meanwhile, Japan reported that a total of five people were detected in that country with the first strain identified in the United Kingdom.
The Japanese Minister of Health, Norihisa Tamura, commented that the cases revealed came from the European country and were confirmed after routine investigations carried out between December 18 and 23 at the national airports of Haneda, Tokyo, and Kansai, in Osaka.
Spain, France, Denmark, Iceland, Germany and Italy, among other European countries, reported the presence of this new strain in their territories; as well as Australia, Israel and Lebanon.
On the other hand, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Africa announced the possibility of the emergence of a new strain of coronavirus in Nigeria; but they added that more research is still needed.
According to the WHO, all viruses change over time and this occurs with SARS-CoV-2, which is why new laboratory studies are needed to better understand the mutation and determine its impact on the effectiveness of diagnoses, treatments and vaccines.