While the Covid-19 epidemic has already claimed more than two million lives worldwide, the appearance of new variants raises all questions. British variant, South African variant, Brazilian variant… We take stock of the situation of new variants of the coronavirus in the world.
More than 2 million deaths from Covid-19 worldwide
The English variant identified in 60 countries and territories against 23 for the South African variant
While the British variant reported in mid-December is considered 50 to 70% more contagious, its presence has been identified in the 6 geographical areas of the WHO against 4 areas for the South African variant. If they are not, a priori, more dangerous than the original new coronavirus, these variants being more contagious, increase the pressure on health systems.
According to WHO data, the British variant had been identified the previous week in 60 countries and territories. That’s 10 more geographic areas than last January 12. As for the South African variant, which diffuses more slowly, the WHO said it had identified it in 23 countries and territories, 3 more than the previous week.
Appearance of two other variants in Brazil
The WHO also mentioned the appearance of two other variants which appeared in Brazil, including P1 which was identified at Haneda airport in Japan, during a screening on people from Manaus in Brazil, on December 15. latest. According to the UN agency, “ There is currently little information available to assess whether the transmissibility or severity is altered by these new variants. “. These variants having genetic characteristics similar to the British and South African variants require further studies to understand their impact.
For now, the effectiveness of anti-Covid-19 vaccines against these variants has not yet been established even if laboratories have assured that they are able to quickly provide new versions of their vaccine if necessary.
