While the spread of the new COVID-19 strain identified in the UK is still out of control, measures should be taken to contain it. This was announced on Monday, December 21, by the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) emergency program, Mike Ryan.
“In a way, this means we have to work harder. Even if the virus spreads slightly more intensively, it can be stopped. Thus, in this sense, the situation is not yet out of control. But it cannot be left to chance, ”Ryan said during a WHO briefing on Monday.
At the same time, UK Health Minister Matt Hancock said earlier that the new virus strain is “out of control.”
European and British media reported on Monday that European countries, as well as a number of states in other parts of the world, have stopped transport links with the UK for fear of introducing a new variant of the COVID-19 virus.
On December 14, UK Health Minister Matt Hancock announced that a new, mutated variant of the coronavirus had been identified in the country. At that time, about 1,000 infections with the new strain were noted in the south of the country.
On December 19, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus strain identified in the south of Great Britain is more infectious. According to the politician, the initial signs of the spread of the new variant of the virus indicate that it is 70% more infectious than the original strain.
At the same time, Johnson clarified that there is no evidence that the new version of the infection is more deadly or causes a more severe course of the disease. On the same day, he announced tightening of restrictive measures in London and in the south of the country due to the spread of the infection. The British themselves began to leave London en masse. In addition, a new strain of COVID-19 has been found in a number of other countries, notably the Netherlands, Australia, Denmark and Italy.
On December 21, it became known that Russia will stop air traffic with Great Britain from December 22 for a week. Several countries have also announced the suspension of flights from the UK due to the detection of a new variant of COVID-19 there.