The “mysterious patient” from Great Britain infected with the highly contagious Brazilian version of the coronavirus was finally found after a five-day human hunt nationwide.
Two officials confirmed on Friday that the patient, who remained unnamed, had been located, according to the Financial Times.
Health officials warned on Sunday that six people in the UK had been infected with the highly transmissible P.1 strain, but one of them did not provide contact information and could not be located – triggering a frantic search.
As of Wednesday, hunting for “Patient X” had been restricted to 379 households in the south-east of England, the health secretary said.
Friday’s announcement puts an end to five days of human hunting after new research found that variant P.1 is twice as infectious as other COVID-19 strains – and is capable of invading the immune system. patients who have already been infected with the deadly virus.
In the United States since Friday, at least 13 cases of the variant – believed to have originated in the Amazon city of Manaus – have been reported in seven states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
However, preliminary data from a study at Oxford University suggest that the AstraZeneca vaccine is effective against the P.1 mutation, Reuters reported on Friday.
Brazil currently has the second highest number of COVID-19 deaths in the world after the United States, with about 261,000 victims, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.
However, President Jair Bolsonaro has continuously downplayed the severity of the pandemic and mocked social distancing measures – even recently accusing Brazilians of “crying” after two consecutive days of record coronavirus deaths in the country.
“Enough agitation and whining. How long will the cry last? Bolsonaro asked the crowd at an event on Thursday.
“How long will you stay home and close everything? Nobody can stand it anymore. We regret the deaths again, but we need a solution. “
With Post threads