WHO Calls Emergency Meeting over New Covid-19 Variant

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The World Health Organization has called an emergency meeting to discuss the emergence of a new coronavirus variant, Financial Times reports.

The B. 1.1.529 Sars-Cov-2 variant was first identified in South Africa and Botswana and is believed to be spreading faster than previously thought.

The meeting is reportedly scheduled for tomorrow.

Tulio de Oliveira, the director of the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation in South Africa, told the Financial Times he was “worried” and that he had discussed the new variant with WHO officials earlier this week, who decided to call the emergency meeting.

He estimated that about 90 percent of new cases in the South African region of Gauteng, which includes Johannesburg, were caused by the new variant.

Any new variant that is able to evade vaccines or spread faster than Delta could pose a serious challenge as the world emerges from the pandemic.

De Oliveira said there were traits present in the new variant that have previously been associated with high transmissibility. “And the key question to be answered is what exactly is the effect on the vaccines,” he added.

Soumya Swaminathan, the chief scientist of the WHO, said the new variant had “a number of worrying mutations in the spike protein”.

The WHO said that the panel would discuss whether the variant should be deemed of “concern” or of “interest”.

“Early analysis shows that this variant has a large number of mutations that require and will undergo further study,” said the WHO.

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