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From Great Britain to Australia, the new strain of coronavirus is already around the world

2020-12-21T18:32:12.293Z


Cases of this variant were also detected in Gibraltar, Holland, Belgium and Italy, and it is discounted that there are already cases in Germany.


12/21/2020 12:07 PM

  • Clarín.com

  • World

Updated 12/21/2020 12:07

Australia reported on Monday that it detected

two cases

of the new strain of coronavirus circulating in England in quarantine facilities set up for travelers.

Gibraltar too, plus Denmark, the Netherlands and Italy.

The brand new variant, more contagious than the previous one, is already going around the world.

Your ally:

airplanes.

The new strain prompted the UK's European neighbors and several other countries, from Canada to India, to

close their doors to travelers

from that country, leaving the kingdom isolated and on the brink of panic.

Little is known about the latest variant of the coronavirus, but experts say that the vaccines that are being developed

should be effective

in stopping it.

v 1.5

Coronavirus in the UK

Tap to explore the data

Source:

Johns Hopkins University

Infographic:

Clarín

Asian countries such as Japan and South Korea said they were monitoring the new strain, even as they are battling an increase in infections domestically.

The health director for the Australian state of New South Wales, Dr Kerry Chant, said the cases recorded there were from travelers

returning from the UK

.

Australia requires that all international arrivals, with a few exceptions, undergo a 14-day state-administered hotel quarantine.

Australia reported more than 28,000 coronavirus cases and more than 900 deaths.

People with chinstraps on the streets of Sydney.

Photo: Bloomberg

In Gibraltar

The Government of the United Kingdom confirmed this Monday that the new variant of the coronavirus has been detected in Gibraltar, where precisely

the restrictions have been reinforced

after the rebound in infections detected during the last week.

El Peñón has registered a rebound in infections in this last week and the Government has urged families to

avoid taking their children to class

this Monday and Tuesday.

In addition,

visits to nursing homes for the elderly

have also been banned

,

a "very sad and very tough" measure, as recognized by the chief minister, Fabian Picardo: "We have no choice."

Europe does not suspend Schengen

The countries of the European Union (EU) agreed on Monday to

keep

the internal borders of the Schengen area open after member states such as Germany, France, Italy or Belgium suspended their connections with the United Kingdom.

"Given the experience of the beginning of the pandemic, Member States ... stressed the importance of keeping borders open within the Schengen area," reported European sources.

Technical advisers from the 27 countries of the European Union held on Monday morning an urgent meeting of the crisis mechanism of the IPCR (Integrated Political Response to the Crisis, in its acronym in English) that lasted for three hours.

The Twenty-seven

did not agree on

any measure regarding the reopening of borders with the United Kingdom, but the sources added that "another important issue for Member States is the question of the repatriation of citizens and legal residents who wish to return from the United Kingdom", without more details.

Called for calm

The chief virologist at the prestigious Charité hospital in Berlin, Christian Drosten, said he was

not so concerned

about the detection in Great Britain of a new strain.

The expert said that British scientists say they have to wait at least a week to complete the preliminary analysis of the data and determine

if the suspicions are true.

According to Drosten, when it comes to the increase in infection numbers, the question is whether the new variant of the virus is the culprit at all, "or whether local transmission mechanisms (which triggered the infections) have just come into play."

On the other hand, the virologist assumes that the new strain circulating in Great Britain

has already reached Germany.

"It is already in Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and even Australia. Why shouldn't it be in Germany?"

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson indicated on Saturday that the newly detected coronavirus variant is up to 70 percent more contagious than the previous one.

Drosten expressed doubts about the scientific certainty of that claim.

In his view, a figure was released, the politicians quoted it and the media echoed it.

"Suddenly a value is taken for granted - 70 percent - and nobody even knows what it means," said the German virologist.

Agencies

ap

Look also

The European Medicines Agency approves the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine

Interview with virologist Daniel Bausch: "The new coronavirus mutation will not have much impact on the vaccine"

Source: clarin

All news articles on 2020-12-21

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