蜜芽传媒

The World Health Organisation will hold a special meeting today to consider the significance of a rapidly spreading new coronavirus variant in South Africa. Experts in Geneva will decide whether it should be designated a variant of concern.

Officials from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention say the pace of COVID-19 vaccinations has slowed on the continent - raising concerns about stopping the pandemic - and only 55% of the vaccines that have arrived have been used.

鈥淲e are all concerned because of the extraordinary number of mutations that are located in the spike protein 鈥� a total of 32 identified 鈥� which are all associated with the ability, firstly, of the virus to escape detection by antibodies,鈥� Africa CDC director John Nkengasong told Newsday.

鈥淎nother mutation appears to increase the ability (of) the virus to be transmitted. However, we don鈥檛 know. We really have to just be careful not to panic at all because the same measures that we鈥檝e used all through the last close to 24 months to prevent the spread of this virus as a whole applies to all new variants.鈥�

(Pic: A medical worker holds a nasal swab for Covid-19; Credit: Reuters)

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