Covid-19 variants

[HONDO74]

What new Covid-19 variants mean for our fight with the virus
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/2021 ... the-future

I have read this article a couple of times.

Could it be that 2021 will still be a big disaster for the world...??

[HONDO74]

Coronavirus: UK variant 'may be more deadly'
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55768627

Previous work suggests the new variant spreads between 30% and 70% faster than others, and there are hints it is about 30% more deadly.

For example, with 1,000 60-year-olds infected with the old variant, 10 of them might be expected to die. But this rises to about 13 with the new variant.

The Pfizer and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine are both expected to work against the variant that emerged in the UK.

However, Sir Patrick said there was more concern about two other variants that had emerged in South Africa and Brazil.

He said: "They have certain features which means they might be less susceptible to vaccines.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

These are beginning to appear to be problematic - need more information.

[HONDO74]

Covid-19: Kent virus variant 'on course to sweep world'
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56019995

The coronavirus variant first found in Kent could become the world's dominant strain, the head of the UK's genetic surveillance programme has predicted.

Prof Sharon Peacock told the BBC's Newscast podcast the new variant has "swept the country" and "it's going to sweep the world, in all probability".

She said her team's work sequencing variants of the virus could be required for at least 10 years.

The Kent variant has already been detected in more than 50 countries.

It was first detected in September 2020 in south-east England and its rapid spread over the following months was cited as the reason for the introduction of new lockdown rules across the UK in January.

Prof Peacock, director of the Covid-19 Genomics UK consortium, said: "What's really affected us at the moment is transmissibility."

She added: "Once we get on top of [the virus] or it mutates itself out of being virulent - causing disease - then we can stop worrying about it. But I think, looking in the future, we're going to be doing this for years. We're still going to be doing this 10 years down the line, in my view."

[Rufus T. Firefly]

We're still going to be doing this 10 years down the line, in my view."

I read a projection of 7 years yesterday. I had a thought that this could be under control in 2 years time pending nothing going wrong. I know my projection went out the window 9 months ago.