The South African variant, 501. V2, is more infectious than the original Covid-19 virus and is dominant in the country.
To combat the resurgence of the disease, South Africa has imposed measures including closing many large public beaches, requiring masks in public areas, restricting sales of alcohol to four days a week and enforcing a night-time curfew from 11pm until 4am. However, the quickening pace of the spread of the disease is bringing experts to urge stricter measures.
“We do need to think of additional restrictions, so that it’s clear to people the seriousness of the current situation,” infectious diseases expert Dr Richard Lessells said. “Because already many hospitals in many parts of the country are extremely stretched.”
UK detects ‘more transmissible’ variant of coronavirus linked to South Africa
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize on Friday, in a Christmas message to the country, rejected a suggestion by British health secretary that South Africa’s variant had contributed to Britain’s strain.
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Mkhize said that statements by Britain’s Secretary for Health, Matt Hancock, had created a perception that the variant in South Africa has been a major factor in UK’s second wave.
“This is not correct. There is evidence that the UK variant developed earlier than the South African variant,” Mkhize said.
There is no evidence to suggest the South African variant is more transmissible, causes more severe disease or increased mortality than Britain’s strain or any other variant that has been sequenced in the world, said Mkhize.
He also said he was against travel bans.
“It is the widely shared view of the scientific community that, given the current circumstantial evidence, the risks of travel bans may outweigh the benefits, and that it is possible to contain the variants while sustaining international travel,” he said.
“Banning travel between the UK and South Africa is an unfortunate decision,” said Mkhize in his statement. “There is no evidence that the South African variant is more pathogenic than the UK variant to necessitate this step.”
Mkhize noted that South Africa is part of a group of “countries that are leading in the field of genomic surveillance: Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands, South Africa and the United Kingdom.”
Leading South Africa’s genomic research is Professor Tulio de Oliveira who is studying the new variant.
“I’ll be spending Christmas in my lab,” de Oliveira said. “We’ll be working throughout the whole holiday season on this research.”
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