UK coronavirus strain present in 82 countries, South African strain in 40: WHO
The UK strain has proven to transmit more easily than previous variants of the virus. Also, the WHO said that the South African variant 501Y.V2 is less susceptible to antibody neutralisation than previous variants
BusinessToday.In | February 2, 2021 | Updated 10:01 IST
New UK strain has now spread to 82 countries
New COVID strains that make the virus more contagious and could render vaccine and antibody protection less effective, have spread rapidly across dozens of countries, according to the World Health Organisation.
In its latest epidemiological update, Maria Van Kerkhove, COVID-19 Technical Lead of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, said the more contagious COVID-19 variant, first spotted in Britain, has now spread to 82 countries, whereas, the South African variant has spread in 40 countries, and the Brazilian strain has been found in nine countries, Van Kerkhove added.
Post-Pandemic: Living with COVID
With coronavirus Infections decreasing and vaccinations increasing throughout the nation, health and science reporters are writing about what the end of the pandemic may look like from a disease perspective. January 31, 2021, 5am PST | Irvin Dawid Share
Pandemic, epidemic, endemic: three words that help to describe where we are and where we may be headed in the COVID-19 pandemic that the World Health Organization declared on March 11, 2020.
A recent post asked 20 urban experts, What will be the lasting effects of the pandemic on urban life and urban systems? To answer, it would be helpful to know the future of the virus in the United States that has upended our lives.
Global Covid-19 death toll crosses 2.5 million. (Photo courtesy: VCR)
(TibetanReview.net, Jan27’21) – The number of people confirmed to have been infected with the novel coronavirus and whose outbreak in the city of Wuhan in late 2019 the party-state of China initially concealed from its own people as well as the rest of the world has now surpassed 100 million.
Meanwhile Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, has told a virtual press conference on Jan 25 that “for the foreseeable future, the coverage of vaccines will not reach a point where it will stop transmission. So we’re likely to have continued transmission”.
President of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC), Brian Lewis . PHOTO SUREASH CHOLAI - SUREASH CHOLAI
TT Olympic Committee (TTOC) president Brian Lewis does not believe TT’s qualified and potential Olympians should receive priority access to covid19 vaccines ahead of health care workers and the elderly population.
Lewis was speaking after a news conference held at the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Switzerland, on Monday, after a reporter asked if athletes should be prioritised in any way, with less than six months to go until the Tokyo Olympics.
WHO Health Emergencies Programme executive director Michael Ryan said the organisation obviously wishes everyone could be vaccinated. However, at this juncture, the focus must be on the populations most at risk.