UK covid variant enters US -several more countries report variant

Wednesday, 30 December 2020 - 8:13

UK+covid+variant+enters+US+-several+more+countries+report+variant
A Colorado man in the USA has the variant of the coronavirus from the United Kingdom that health officials say is more transmissable than other strains of the virus.

It is the first known case of the UK coronavirus variant in United States. Researchers from the UK estimated that the variant is 56% more transmissible.

The man, who is in his 20s and in isolation in Elbert County, has no travel history, according to media reports.

Many countries have banned flights from the United Kingdom with the identification of the new variant including Sri Lanka.

India has found six people who returned from Britain in recent weeks with a more infectious strain of the novel coronavirus that has prompted border closures around the world, as its daily increase in cases fell to a six-month low. 

Over the weekend, more than a dozen countries reported cases involving the UK SARS-CoV-2 variant, with a few reporting their first cases of a similar but distinct South African variant.

At least 14 other countries over the past few days reported similar cases, according to official sources and media reports, including France, Japan, Denmark, South Korea, Finland, Sweden, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Lebanon, Singapore, and Australia.

Some countries also reported their first detections of a similar South African variant, including the UK and Finland.

South Africa has identified a new variant of the novel coronavirus, which authorities believe is driving a surge in COVID-19 infections that could overwhelm its healthcare system

A returned traveller in Queensland has tested positive for the new variant of COVID-19 from South Africa a strain thought to be more contagious and described as "very concerning" 

The variants reported by South Africa and the UK share a common change in the spike protein that may make them more infectious. But they are different variants, and sequence analysis revealed that they originated separately, the World Health Organization said.

Several lines of evidence in the past have suggested Children might be less susceptible to the novel coronavirus. If this new variant sticks more easily to cells, there's the chance it could spread more readily amongst children than it did before

The new variant still spreads the same way as the ordinary form of the coronavirus. That means the same things everyone has been doing to prevent the spread of the virus since March will also work for the new U.K. variant: washing hands, physical distancing, masks and good ventilation. 

Adhering strictly to those rules and avoiding unnecessary outings will help prevent its spread.

With the opening of the Airport, and keeping the country without the economic freezing lockdowns means that all citizens need to follow good health practises and guidelines. 

Just as a team is only as strong as its weakest link, the Coronavirus spread can increase with a simple lapse, therefore stringent measures under a new normal would be required from the entire country states officials.  

According to experts, this should be a top priority, for citizens since discipline is key to overcoming this pandemic and could be a part in all new year resolutions for 2021.  

According to the disclaimer and warnings in covid vaccines that are administered, it is not recommended for children under 16, for pregnant and lactating mothers and has a warning to refrain from getting pregnant for two months after the vaccine. The manufacturers also state that the vaccine does not guarantee 100% immunity from the virus. 

Meanwhile the Russian developed vaccine is only recommended for those between 16-60 since the testing's have only been conducted for this age group.

This would also mean that the vaccine is not a 100% solution, necessitating the adherence to health guidelines to control the virus.


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