Viruses change over time, as did SARS-CoV-2. The country has already registered an imported case of the new coronavirus strain that appeared in the United Kingdom, whose mutation makes the disease spread faster and easier among people.
On 14 December 2020, the British authorities informed the World Health Organization (WHO) that a new strain of SARS-CoV-2 had been identified by viral genomic sequencing.
The mentioned variant was named SARS-CoV-2 VUI 202012/01 (for the acronym in English of “variant in research, year 2020, month 12, variant 01”).
After observing the prolonged and continuous growth of infections in the United Kingdom, experts began an epidemiological and virological investigation in early December 2020, which led to the detection of the aforementioned variant.
The episode was characterized by an increase in the notification rate of cases to more than threefold between October 5 and December 13, 2020, most of the COVID-19 cases in which it was detected correspond to people under 60 years of age.
In its web portal, the WHO states that this variant is more transmissible than previous viruses in circulation and represents an estimated increase in transmissibility between 40% and 70%.
The WHO recalls that the basic principles for reducing the general risk of transmitting acute respiratory infections include frequent hand washing, especially after direct contact with sick people or their environment.
Also, people with symptoms of an acute respiratory infection should keep some distance from others, cover their nose and mouth with tissues or clothing when sneezing or coughing, and wash their hands.
New strain in DR
The Dominican Republic Health Office reported on Friday that a Dominican passenger in the United Kingdom had been diagnosed with the new strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID 19.
Health authorities said the results of the positive test of the passenger who arrived in the country in December last year from the United Kingdom, were sent to the United States Center for Disease Control (Atlanta) and tested and found that when the virus was detected , was the carrier of the new SARS-CoV-2 strain detected in the United Kingdom.