The Joint Covid-19 Joint Monitoring Group of the Indian Ministry of Health met on Monday to discuss the new mutant coronavirus virus raised in the United Kingdom. Officials in Britain warn that new strain of virus is spiraling out of control’.
Nearly a third of England’s population has entered lockdown four days before Christmas, as authorities warned that the new strain of the virus was getting “out of control”. The new version of the virus has spread rapidly in London and South East England.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the new strain “may be 70% more permeable than the old version” although there was no evidence that it was more fatal or caused a more serious disease. In India, a joint monitoring group headed by the Director General of Health Services will discuss the mutated version of coronavirus.
India representative of World Health Organization, Dr. Roderico H. Trinin, a member of the group, can attend the meeting.
The mutation of the virus has worried experts around the world as drug makers are still in the early stages of the vaccine against Covid-19. The new version was first seen in London and Kent in mid-September in the UK. By December, it had become a “major version” in London.
On Sunday, Germany’s Health Minister Jens Spahn said EU experts believe the current vaccines being developed against Covid-19 will be effective against the new strain.
According to “everything we know so far”, “new strains” have no effect on vaccines “, which remain” just as effective “, Spann said.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday asked people to cancel their Christmas plans and stay indoors as the new tension was spreading more quickly. He announced new tier-4 levels canceling plans for relaxed Christmas norms. London, which was till now in Tier 3 with strict restrictions, was moved to Tier 4, which is of the highest level.
Several European countries are considering a ban on flights coming from the United Kingdom to prevent the spread of new strains of coronavirus. The Netherlands and Belgium have suspended flights and Belgium has also stopped trains from the UK. Germany halted flights from Britain and the same can be said for flights arriving from South Africa, where another variant of the virus was found.