The new COVID-19 variant detected in South Africa poses an even greater risk than the highly contagious stress that arises in British patients, the British health secretary said on Monday.
Secretary Matt Hancock calls the South African variant a ‘very important problem’ in a Monday interview on BBC radio.
“I am incredibly concerned about the South African variant, which is why we have taken the action to restrict all flights from South Africa,” he said on the program. “This is a very, very important problem … and it’s an even bigger problem than the British new variant.”
Hancock told ITV News that the tension found in South Africa “seems even easier to convey than the new variant we have seen here. [in the UK]. ”
Only two cases of the South African variant have been documented in the UK, but officials hope to keep it straight, as according to the report, 55,000 new cases of coronavirus were reported in the country on Sunday.
“We have to keep an eye on this one because it’s even harder to deal with than the British variant,” he said.
Hancock’s concerns stem from the fear that vaccines will not be as effective against the South African variant as for the one in the UK, Robert Peston, political editor of ITV, tweeted, referring to one of the government’s scientific advisers.
Oxford University scientist Sir John Bell told Times Radio Sunday that more research was needed and that there was a big question mark over whether the vaccines would work on the new strain, known as 501.V2.
But Bell added that he doubts whether the vaccines against the variant will be completely ineffective.
With Post threads