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The new variants of the coronavirus are spreading in more and more countries: As the World Health Organization (WHO) announced yesterday, the coronavirus mutation initially registered in Great Britain has now been detected in 70 countries. That was ten countries more than a week earlier.
The WHO also recorded a larger distribution area for the mutant initially detected in South Africa. The number of affected countries rose by eight to 31 within a week. For the mutation that first appeared in Brazil, the WHO now stated that eight countries were affected instead of six previously.
Further studies needed
According to scientists, the mutation first identified in the United Kingdom is more contagious than the original variant of the coronavirus. Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson had said last week that there was also “evidence” that the variant could be “associated with a higher mortality rate.” However, the WHO stressed that this information was based on “preliminary” study results and that further analysis was needed for verification.
WHO further stated that there is evidence that the 501Y.V2 variant detected in South Africa is less “susceptible to antibody neutralization” than the original variant. Some experts therefore fear that this mutation could lead to more secondary infections with coronavirus and possibly also have an impact on the effectiveness of coronavirus vaccines. According to the WHO, however, further studies are needed here as well.
— source: orf.at/picture: pixabay.com
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