New heavily mutated variant of Covid found in Africa

A new coronavirus variant has been detected in South Africa that scientists say is a concern because of its high number of mutations and rapid spread among young people in Gauteng, the country’s most populous province, Health Minister of South Africa Joe Phaahla announced on November 25. The new variant found in South Africa has not been named by the World Health Organisation yet. The variant goes by the scientific label B.1.1.529 and has been named as ‘variant of concern’ by virologist Tulio de Oliveira.

Most confirmed cases are in Gauteng province in South Africa, a few cases are found in Botswana, and two in Hong Kong (which is directly linked to travel from South Africa).
Scientists have said that many of the mutations indicate its high transmissibility and resistance to vaccines; the strain has more changes in the spike protein than all other Covid-19 variants.
The World Health Organization has called for caution in the initial stages of dealing with this variant; more research needs to be conducted to understand how B.1.1.529 behaves, said by Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s COVID-19 Technical Lead. She also said that the variant has a large number of mutations which will have an impact on how the virus behaves. She emphasized getting vaccinated as soon as possible to everyone.

The UK announced a temporary suspension of flights from six countries after reports emerged that a new coronavirus variant. Israel also banned travel from South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, and Eswatini due to the new variant, BNO News reported.