COVID-19 strain found in South Africa 'more of a problem' than UK variant: Matt Hancock

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock, on January 4, said that the mutant coronavirus from South Africa was “more of a problem” than the variant found in the UK. Both the countries reported the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 variant in December 2020. While the African variant named 501Y.V2 has been reported in countries including France and Japan, the British variant named B.1.1.7 has been reported in Australia, US and Canada amongst others.

'Very significant problem' 

Meanwhile, speaking at a press meet, Hancock stressed that he was “incredibly worried” about the South African strain. Furthermore, he reasoned that it was because of this concern, that the UK had previously banned all incoming flights from South Africa. “This is a very, very significant problem ... and it’s even more of a problem than the UK new variant,” he said at the briefing.

First discovered in Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape, scientists have warned that the new variants have had multiple mutations in important “spike” proteins that viruses use to infect human cells. In addendum, the virus has also concerned the scientists who are speculating if the approved vaccines would work on the mutant viruses. They have also stated that the new virus is more transmissible than the already existing strain.  

Read: UK Reports Two Cases Of New South African COVID-19 Strain, Tightens Lockdown Restrictions

Read: UK: Scientists Raise Concerns Over Vaccine Efficacy On South African Covid Variant

What is known about COVID-19 variant in South Africa?

Even though the South African experts are still looking into the details of the new COVID-19 variant, the health minister had said last week that the particular strain had dominated the results of the infections, especially in the last two months. Calling it a shift in the epidemiological landscape, doctors have reportedly noted that more younger patients were impacted with co-morbidities and developed severe forms of the highly-infectious disease which is sometimes deadly.

The South African health minister has also revealed that elements related to the new coronavirus strain “strongly indicate” that the second wave in the nation is “carried” by the new variant as nearly 90% of the samples tested in the country contain the new strain. As per reports, unlike other mutations that eventually die away, the 501.V2 has key changed in the part of the pathogen that helps it to stick to host cells in humans. It is also the same part of the virus which is impacted by the vaccines and antibody therapies.

Read: UK Reports Two Cases Of New South African COVID-19 Strain, Tightens Lockdown Restrictions

Read: New COVID-19 Variant Detected In South Africa: Everything You Need To Know About It