ANI
26 Nov 2021, 07:25 GMT+10
Hong Kong, November 26 (ANI): Hong Kong has detected a newly identified COVID-19 variant --- B.1.1.529 --- causing a spike in new Covid-19 infections in South Africa, according to local media reports.
This news, with a large number of spike protein mutations, has led the UK to impose a travel ban from some African countries. It has also been declared a Variant under Investigation (VuI) by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
"These are potentially biologically significant mutations which may change the behaviour of the virus with regards to vaccines, treatments and transmissibility. More investigation is required," UK Health Security Agency said in a statement.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for a special meeting to discuss the new Covid variant.
"We don't know very much about this yet. What we do know is that this variant has a large number of mutations. And the concern is that when you have so many mutations, it can have an impact on how the virus behaves," Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's the technical lead on Covid-19, said in a briefing.
Reportedly, the new variant was found earlier in two men quarantined at the Regal Airport Hotel in Chek Lap Kok. The Hong Kong health authorities confirmed that the new variant was brought in by one of the men who had flown in from South Africa.
The first patient then allegedly passed on the virus to another man who was staying in a neighbouring room at the hotel, The Straits Times reported citing Hong Kong public broadcaster RTHK.
The probe into the two cases showed that they had highly similar genetic sequences, adding that the viruses they carried belong to the B.1.1.529 variant, according to Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection (CHP).
Media reports say that scientific information on the public health significance of this lineage is lacking at the moment. Therefore, it is classified by the WHO as 'variants under monitoring'.
The first patient was found to have worn a reusable mask with an air valve, and further investigation found that the mask had contributed to the spread of the virus to the second man, RTHK reported. (ANI)Get a daily dose of Madagascar Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Madagascar Sun.
More InformationNew Delhi [India], March 1 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday highlighted India's capability to efficiently organize large-scale...
BEIJING, March 1 (Xinhua) -- A selection of the best press photos from Xinhua. A drone photo taken on Feb. 27, 2025 shows the construction...
(250301) -- JUBA, March 1, 2025 (Xinhua) -- A nurse from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) South Sudan delegation...
New Delhi [India], March 1 (ANI): The Indian Coast Guard Ship Sachet departed for Sudan on Friday, carrying over two tons of life-saving...
ABUJA, NIGERIA — For longtime automotive importer David Tope, Nigeria's auto market has become increasingly difficult. He used to...
A family is seen in a tent at a center for displaced people fleeing from conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary...
BANGKOK, Thailand: Chinese authorities said they started live-fire military exercises in the Gulf of Tonkin this week, just days after...
ABOARD THE CHARLES DE GAULLE, Philippines: France's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and its warships arrived in the Philippines over...
FRESNO, California: Fresno State suspended two of its top men's basketball players last weekend and removed a third player from the...
WARSAW, Poland: Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski confirmed over the weekend that Poland has been covering the cost of Ukraine's...
Israel sustained the West's support for its slaughter in Gaza for 15 months only through an intensive campaign of lies. It invented...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Pentagon announced this week that it will cut 5,400 jobs as part of President Donald Trump's plan to shrink the...