Covid-19 New Mega Strain Found In South Africa. Travel Bans Ensues.

[RAMROD 117,048]

Scientists in South Africa said on Thursday they have detected a new Covid-19 variant with a large number of mutations, adding it was responsible for a surge in infections.

Tulio de Oliveira, a bio-informatics professor who runs gene-sequencing institutions at two South African universities, said at a briefing on Thursday that the new discovery, called B.1.1529, carries an unusually large number of mutations and is “clearly very different” from previous variants.

The government-run National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said 22 positive cases of the new variant have been recorded in the country. The NICD said the number of detected cases and the percentage testing positive are "increasing quickly" in three of the country's provinces.

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 UK Health Security Agency has said the coronavirus variant has a spike protein that was dramatically different to the one in the original coronavirus that Covid-19 vaccines are based on. 

UK health secretary Sajid Javid on Thursday 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.

Hong Kong confirmed two cases of the new Covid variant after genome sequencing analysis by the University of Hong Kong. 

One of the cases was a traveller arriving in Hong Kong from South Africa. The other person was quarantined in the hotel room opposite and might have been infected as air flowed between the rooms.

While in Singapore, 

New restrictions have been placed on travellers from several African countries by the Ministry of Health (MOH) amid reports of a potentially more contagious variant of the Covid-19 virus circulating in the region.

The MOH said on Friday (Nov 26) that all travellers with recent travel history to Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe will from 11.59pm on Saturday (Nov 27) no longer be allowed to enter into or transit through Singapore.

This will apply to those who have obtained prior approval for entry into Singapore as long as they have been in those countries in the last 14 days.

 

 

https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/after-new-covid-strain-in-south-africa-who-to-call-meeting-uk-bans-flights-101637888437030.html

 

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/spore-tightens-border-measures-for-travellers-from-7-african-countries-no-cases-of-new

[Chic 20,830]

What is it about having a virus that makes people want to travel everywhere?

[Morphine Prince 109,655]

New variants of interest will keep popping up. 

I’m just hoping the vaccines are still effective for years to come. 

We are going to go full dystopian novel if a vaccine resistant variant emerges. 

[TheSlash 14,539]

I just hope vaccine development picks up a similar pace as it already does for the flu vaccine  .

[artd0me 841]

and there it goes, my new year's holiday

[Mother of Puppies 36,615]

The journey yet continues 

[Lumiere 5,825]

ugh fck covid

[PartySick 172,534]

30 minutes ago, TheSlash said:

I just hope vaccine development picks up a similar pace as it already does for the flu vaccine  .

It was always my understanding that creating the vaccine in the first place was the hard part and tweaking it for variants, while annoying, isn't nearly as difficult.

But maybe I'm wrong

[Lady Adga 8,664]

[alsemanche 97,799]

Let's hope it dies down like previous variants that were stronger than Delta. But this is actually terrifying me  And the way things happen in my country (absolutely no restrictions in any way, no travel bans, barely any vaccinations per day), it will literally destroy us completely. 

[julz 8,048]

...and it's in Hong Kong 

PH be safe, we are just getting started with our freedom (with safety precautions) here, and i havent watched HoG in cinemas 

[Helxig 45,337]

Guys this is just what viruses do. They flu virus has been around for centuries because it constantly mutates. This is why people need to get a new flu shot every year with the new strains. Covid will be exactly the same. It's not going to magically go away, it will be around just like the flu, only more dangerous than the flu. We're going to have to live with it until they create a longer lasting vaccine, or people start getting a vaccine every year ( like the flu jab), or some other miracle happens

[sarahb 17,188]

Well hopefully it's not more deadly than Delta. Hey maybe we'll get lucky and it'll be less deadly. At least one of the men in Hong Kong (that is doubled vaxxed) is asymptomatic. (This person that posted this tweet worked on the Moderna vaccine)

 

[JoeMo 3,889]

25 minutes ago, sarahb said:

Well hopefully it's not more deadly than Delta. Hey maybe we'll get lucky and it'll be less deadly. At least one of the men in Hong Kong (that is doubled vaxxed) is asymptomatic. (This person that posted this tweet worked on the Moderna vaccine)

 

Thanks for posting! That’s more reassuring!

[Eido 3,681]

 please don't disrupt my move to Montréal 

It's already hard financially speaking 

I don't need that to be added