GENEVA / ZURICH (Reuters) – The World Health Organization has warned against a major alarm over a new highly infectious variant of the coronavirus that has appeared in the UK, saying it is a normal part of a pandemic.
WHO officials have even shed some light on the discovery of new strains that have led a number of countries alarmed to impose travel restrictions in the UK and South Africa, saying new virus-tracking tools are working.
“We have to find a balance. It is very important to have transparency, it is very important to tell the public how it is, but it is also important to convey that this is a normal part of the evolution of the virus, ”said WHO Chief Emergency Officer Mike Ryan. an online briefing.
“The possibility of tracking a virus so closely, so closely, of this scientific fact in real time is a real positive development for global public health, and the countries that do this type of surveillance should be praised.”
Citing data from the UK, WHO officials said they had no evidence that the variant had infected people or been more deadly than existing strains of COVID-19, although it appeared to spread more easily.
Countries that impose travel boards have acted with plenty of caution while assessing the risks, Ryan said, adding: “This is prudent. But it is also important for everyone to recognize that this is happening, these variants appear. “
WHO officials say coronavirus mutations have so far been slower than with the flu and that even the new British variant has remained much less communicable than other diseases, such as mumps.
They said that vaccines developed to control COVID-19 should also handle new variants, although checks were made to ensure that this was the case.
“So far, even though we have seen a number of changes, a number of mutations, none have had a significant impact on the susceptibility of the virus to any of the currently used therapies, drugs or vaccines under development and it is hoped that it will continue. be the case, ”WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said for the briefing.
The WHO said it expects to get more details in a few days or weeks about the potential impact of the highly transmissible new coronavirus strain.
Reporting by Emma Farge in Geneva and Michael Shields in Zurich; Written by Josephine Mason; edited by Mark Heinrich