Statement on the seventh meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic
Format
Proceedings of the meeting
Members and Advisors of the Emergency Committee were convened by videoconference.
The Director-General welcomed the Committee, expressed concern over the continued rise in cases and deaths, and the need to scale up the global vaccination efforts. He thanked the committee for their continued support and advice.
Representatives of the Office of Legal Counsel (LEG) and the Department of Compliance, Risk Management, and Ethics (CRE) briefed the members on their roles and responsibilities. The Ethics Officer from CRE provided the Members and Advisers with an overview of the WHO Declaration of Interest process. The Members and Advisers were made aware of their individual responsibility to disclose to WHO, in a timely manner, any interests of a personal, professional, financial, intellectual or commer
Statement on the sixth meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic
Statement on the sixth meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic 15 January 2021 Reading time:
The sixth meeting of the Emergency Committee convened by the WHO Director-General under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) took place on Thursday, 14 January 2021 from 12:15 to 16:45
Geneva time (CEST).
Proceedings of the meeting
The Director-General welcomed the Committee, expressed the need for global solidarity in addressing the challenges posed by the pandemic, and emphasized the need for protection of the most vulnerable. He thanked the Committee for their continued support
As health authorities around the world start administering the first COVID-19 shots, a “new strain” of the SARS-CoV-2 has emerged. It has been dubbed as more infectious , according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The British media described the new variant of SARS-CoV-2, first detected in Kent in September, as one that “appears to spread more quickly”. This has sparked fears that COVID-19 cases may spike, further accelerating the pandemic.
Now, there s a need for more clarity and lesser misunderstanding on this new variant. Here’s a Q&A of what we know so far:
What happened? What s the rough timeline? How many were infected with the new strain?
In the next few weeks, as laboratory work progresses
, South Africans should get a clearer picture of its new Covid-19 variant, says Professor Tulio de Oliveira, director of the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP). KRISP coordinates the genetic research into the virus in South Africa.
He warns that the new variant – called 501.V2 – is now clearly driving the surge in cases in South Africa, which is threatening to engulf its healthcare infrastructure.
Over the past nine days, more than 100 000 new Covid cases have been confirmed, with more than 200 people now dying every day.
While it is not expected that the new variant is causing more severe symptoms, De Oliveira says he won’t be surprised if the virus is found to be between 40% and 70% more transmissible than the original virus strain (in line with the UK’s 501Y variant). This means that you are much likelier to contract the virus when exposed to it.
Africa: SARS-CoV-2 Variant - United Kingdom allafrica.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from allafrica.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.