WHO CALLS MEETING ON NEW VIRUS STRAIN AS CONCERNS GROW
Pfizer, Moderna are testing their Covid vaccines to see if they work against the new mutated variant
GENEVA/BERLIN: The WHO will convene a meeting of members to discuss strategies to counter a new, more infectious coronavirus strain that emerged in Britain, its European chief said on Tuesday. He did not give a date for the meeting. “Limiting travel to contain spread is prudent until we have better info,” WHO regional director Hans Kluge tweeted, urging increased preventive measures.
GENEVA/BERLIN: The World Health Organization (WHO) will convene a meeting of members to discuss strategies to counter a new, more infectious coronavirus strain that emerged in Britain, its European chief said on Tuesday. He did not give a date for the meeting.
“Limiting travel to contain spread is prudent until we have better info. Supply chains for essential goods & essential travel should remain possible,” WHO regional director Hans Kluge tweeted, urging increased preventive measures.
The WHO has cautioned against major alarm over the variant, saying it was a normal part of a pandemic’s evolution and praising Britain for detecting it. In a statement on Tuesday, the WHO repeated that there was not yet enough information to determine whether the new variant could affect vaccine efficacy, saying researching was ongoing.
Earlier, the WHO’s emergencies chief Michael Ryan had tried to temper the alarm by stressing that the situation was not “out of control”.
The co-founder of BioNTech said on Tuesday it was “highly likely” that its Covid-19 vaccine, jointly developed with Pfizer, works against the mutated strain detected in Britain, but it could also adapt the vaccine if necessary in six weeks. “Scientifically, it is highly likely that the immune response by this vaccine also can deal with the new virus variant,” said Ugur Sahin.
CNN, meanwhile, has reported that both Pfizer and Moderna are now testing their coronavirus vaccines to see if they work against the new mutated version of the coronavirus. “Based on the data to date, we expect that the Moderna vaccine-induced immunity would be protective against the variants recently described in the UK,” Moderna said in a statement.
As fears grow worldwide about the impact of the new strain of Covid-19, the US government is considering requiring that all passengers travelling from the UK receive a negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours of departure as a condition of entry, airline and U.S. officials briefed on the matter said on Monday. Airline and US officials said requiring testing for UK arrivals won backing among task force members. The White House has yet to make a final decision on the matter, they said.