The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, is attending a press conference on the situation of the coronavirus (COVID-2019) in Geneva, Switzerland.
Denis Balibouse | Reuters
The new most contagious mutated variants of the coronavirus are “highly problematic” and could cause more cases and hospitalizations if the spread of the virus is not immediately suppressed, the head of the World Health Organization said Monday.
The World Health Agency was alerted over the weekend of a new Covid-19 strain discovered in Japan, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a press conference. On Sunday, Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases said it discovered a new variant of the coronavirus in four travelers arriving from Brazil.
The variant appears to have some of the same mutations as other strains discovered in the UK and South Africa, the institute said. These virus mutations, while highly infectious, do not appear to make people sicker from the virus, health experts have said.
The Japanese Institute of Infectious Diseases said it is difficult to immediately determine the extent to which the new strain is infectious and the effectiveness of vaccines against it.
As viruses spread, they are expected to mutate over time as the peaks of their surfaces change, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, the CDC warns that it is not yet known to what extent the new mutations are widespread.
“The more the virus spreads, the greater the possibility of new changes in the virus,” Tedros said at WHO headquarters in Geneva, noting that the new variants appear to be more contagious than previous strains.
“This can lead to an increase in cases and hospitalizations, which is highly problematic for health workers and hospitals that are already on the verge of collapse. This is especially true when public and social health measures have already been taken. broken, ”Tedros said.
This is a developing story. Please check back later for updates.