A New Covid-19 Variant Discovered; WHO to Hold Emergency Meeting

The World Health Organization (WHO) will hold an emergency meeting on Friday concerning a new strain of coronavirus identified in South Africa and Botswana. This was reported by TASS, citing the Financial Times.

The new variant, B.1.1.529, is considered by experts to be significantly more dangerous than the 'Delta' variant.

Tuile de Oliveira, the director of the South African Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation, expressed his concerns about the emergence of this new strain and mentioned that he had already discussed it with WHO representatives earlier this week.

As de Oliveira pointed out, it is crucial to determine how this variant will affect the vaccines that have already been developed against the coronavirus.

As of now, the new Covid-19 strain has been detected in 77 individuals in South Africa and in 4 cases in Botswana. Additionally, a new case was diagnosed in an individual arriving from South Africa to Hong Kong.

It is reported that the new variant contains 32 mutations and may be resistant to vaccines. Currently, the 'Delta' strain (AY.4.2) remains dominant worldwide.