The new variant COVID-19 detected in South Africa poses an even greater risk than the highly infectious strain that appeared in patients in the UK, the British health secretary said on Monday.
Secretary Matt Hancock called the South African variant “a very significant problem” in an interview on BBC radio on Monday.
“I am extremely concerned about the South African variant and that is why we have taken the steps we have taken to restrict all flights from South Africa,” he said in the program. “This is a very, very significant problem … and it is even more problematic than the new UK variant.”
Hancock told ITV News that the strain found in South Africa “looks even easier to transmit than the new variant we saw here [in the UK]. “
Only two cases of the South African variant have been documented in the UK, but officials hope to maintain control over this, as 55,000 new cases of coronavirus were registered in the country on Sunday, according to the report.
“We have to keep an eye on this one, because it is even more difficult to deal with than the UK variant,” he said.
Hancock’s concern stems from the fear that vaccines will not be as effective against the South African variant as they are for the UK, ITV political editor Robert Peston tweeted, citing one of the government’s scientific consultants.
Oxford University scientist Sir John Bell told Times Radio Sunday that more research is needed and “there is a big question” about whether the vaccines will work on the new strain, known as 501.V2.
But Bell added that he doubts whether vaccines will become completely ineffective against the variant.
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