- In mid-December UK’s health secretary announced the discovery of a new coronavirus variant.
- Multiple countries across the world, including the US, Spain, Brazil, and Japan, have reported cases of the new variant. مواقع القمار
- Although more transmissible, evidence suggests the new variant is unlikely to cause a more severe infection.
A year into the pandemic and scientists are still struggling to control the spread of the novel coronavirus. Since the first recorded case in December 2019, the world has reported a total of over 80 million cases. قواعد لعبة بلاك جاك To make matters worse, the UK Coronavirus variant seems to be affecting countries across the world. UK’s health secretary, Matt Hancock, first announced its discovery in mid-December of last year. Similar to the UK, South Africa, and Nigeria have also reported variants of the virus.
The increase in cases linked to the new variant first came to light in late November when PHE was investigating why infection rates in Kent [in southeast England] were not falling despite national restrictions. We then discovered a cluster linked to this variant spreading rapidly into London and Essex.
Public Health England
First Case of UK Coronavirus Variant in the US
A Colorado man in his 20s has become the first known case of the newly identified UK strain in the US. The man who was a national guard member had been assisting at a care facility in Simla and had insignificant travel history. Health officials are currently investigating how he could have gotten infected. Furthermore, they suspect a second case in another guard member at the same facility.
An unknown travel history means that this person picked it up in the community. We know it is a more contagious variant and that’s a serious concern if it is only just now beginning to spread, given that our hospitals and ICUs, in particular, are already being filled.
Dr. Atul Gawande, member of the Biden-Harris transition Covid advisory board
Although this is the first case in the US, scientists suspect there are probably several more undetected cases in the country. Unlike the UK, the US has not conducted as much genetic sequencing of the viral samples. This is evident in a recent statement by the CDC. According to the statement, as of December, the US has sequenced 51,000 viral samples out of 17 million identified cases.
What are the Experts Saying?
Although, multiple variants of the virus currently exist in the world, the UK variant is more transmissible. A study by Center for Mathematical Modeling and Infectious Diseases (CMMID) found it was 50% to 74% more transmissible than other strains. They also stated the new variant as more contagious.
At least 17 countries, including Japan, Canada, Spain, and Australia, have detected the UK variant. This has led to multiple countries imposing travel restrictions on travelers from the UK. Despite the rising number of cases, scientists believe the ongoing vaccination programs will likely help get a grip on the virus. Moreover, there is currently no evidence of the new strain being resistant to the vaccines.
Reference:
Davies, Nicholas G., et al. “Estimated Transmissibility and Severity of Novel SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern 202012/01 in England. العاب الربح من الانترنت ” Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases, 2020, doi:10.1101/2020.12.24.20248822.
