“Several weeks” to better understand the new variant

It will take “several weeks” to understand the level of transmissibility and virulence of the new variant which was first detected in South Africa and named B.1.1.529, a WHO spokesperson said on Friday.

Experts from the World Health Organization, responsible for monitoring developments in the Covid virus, are however already meeting today to determine whether the variant should be classified as “worrying” or “to be monitored”, explained Christian Lindmeier, during a regular press briefing by UN agencies.

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