Coronavirus Threat: New Variant Now Scares UK; Experts Says NOT to Panic
Coronavirus has been living alongside our presence, spreading serious respiratory complications, and other medical conditions.
It has been a threat for medical experts and its victims, posing danger for both the medical practitioners and members of society.
To date, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that there are about 71,051, 805 confirmed cases of people infected with SARS-CoV-2, with a death toll of about 1,608, 648. The health organization furthers that 30,416,759 Americans are confirmed to have been infected by COVID-19.
Alongside the shipments of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine throughout the Americas, the announcement of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 gathers different reactions from medical experts.
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On the New Variant of the virus
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock hosts a remote press conference to update the nation on the covid-19 pandemic, inside 10 Downing Street on December 14, 2020 in London, England. The British capital is to move into the highest level of anti-virus restrictions. From Wednesday London will go into "tier three" restrictions, which force the closure of theatres and ban people from eating out at restaurants or drinking in pubs, the Health Secretary Matt Hancock told parliament.
BBC reports that United Kingdom Health Secretary, Matt Hancock notes that at least 60 different local authorities have been recorded to be COVID-19 positive from the new variant of the virus.
Hancock says in an interview with BBC that they were able to identify 1,000 cases with this variant predominantly in the south of England although cases have been identified in nearly 60 different local authorities. He added that the WHO was notified about the current issue, and UK scientists are doing their best on a detailed study.
Although the UK authorities are doing their part, the announcement still garners different sentiments from the medical expert's community.
Published in Science Media Center Senior research fellow at the microbial genomics from UCL Genetics Institute, Dr. Lucy van Dorp states that it is frustrating to have claims like the announcement made without the associated evidence presented for scientific assessment.
Chair of the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging Zoonotic Infections from the University of Liverpool Professor Tom Solomon adds in the release that SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), just like any other viruses are evolving and mutating all the time. He adds that these changes are complete to be expected.
Chair of Infection and Global Health from the University of Liverpool, Professor Julian Hiscox also points out in Science Media Center the mutation of Coronaviruses has been known for many years and is not something people should be shocked too.
Should You Panic?
The finding may surprise and cause fear to people but hold on because the mutation is not something you should be surprised at.
In a report by Hugh Pennington, Emeritus Professor at Bacteriology from the University of Aberdeen for the Daily Mail, he mentions that the SARS-CoV-2 has fewer mutations, but it still happens.
Although the announcement seems to wreak havoc among citizens, Professor Pennington furthers that Mr. Hancock chose his language carefully and did not state that the new variant is causing the spikes in London. He emphasized in the newsletter that there is currently nothing to suggest the new variant of coronavirus is more likely to cause serious disease, and the said mutation is improbable to fail its response to a vaccine.
Professor Solomon adds in the Science Media Center that a small change in the genetic makeup of the virus does not mean that it is more infectious and the vaccines won't be effective. He adds that their experience from previous similar viruses suggests that the vaccines will be effective despite the small genetic change.
This only means that even though the announcement of the new variant of coronavirus alone is alarming, panic among citizens is not needed because experts claim that the medication against the disease is still effective.
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Dec 15, 2020 08:29 AM EST
