The new strain of "Corona" may make containing the "pandemic" more difficult

London is introducing the AstraZeneca vaccine and boasts the victory of British science

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson inspects vaccination operations at a London hospital.

Reuters

Britain began vaccinating its population yesterday with the emerging corona virus vaccine (Covid-19) produced by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca, to boast of a scientific victory that placed it at the forefront of Western countries launching a program for immunization against the emerging corona virus, while experts warned that the new strain of Corona “It could make containing the pandemic more difficult.

British Health Minister Matt Hancock said that Britain had already vaccinated more than a million people with the "Covid-19" vaccine, more than the rest of Europe combined, adding that the introduction of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine was a victory.

Hancock told Sky: "Our arrival to where we are now is a victory for British science from the beginning. We saw that the vaccine is the only way out of the crisis in the long run."

Britain, which is feeding its population faster than the United States and the rest of Europe in an effort to weather the pandemic, is the first country to introduce the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine.

Last year, it launched the Pfizer / Biontech vaccine.

Brian Pinker, 82, who needs dialysis, was the first to receive the Oxford / AstraZeneca dose at Oxford University Hospital.

"I am very happy to have the Covid vaccine today and really proud that it is the one that was invented in Oxford," said Pinker, a retired maintenance manager.

He added that he looks forward to celebrating with his wife Shirley the 48th anniversary of their marriage.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government has secured access to 100 million doses of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine, which can be stored at temperatures between two and eight degrees, making it easier to distribute than the Pfizer vaccine.

Six hospitals in England are overseeing the first batch of about 530,000 doses prepared by Britain.

The program will be expanded to include hundreds of other British sites in the coming days, and the government hopes to release tens of millions of doses within months.

In the same context, ITV political editor Robert Beston said yesterday, quoting an unnamed scientific advisor to the British government, that there are scientists who are concerned because they are not fully confident that the "Covid-19" vaccines will work efficiently and effectively. In protection against a new strain of the emerging corona virus that has appeared in South Africa.

Hancock said, earlier yesterday, that he was extremely concerned about the new strain.

Public Health England did not respond to calls requesting comment for this report.

“According to a scientific adviser to the government, the reason Matt Hancock is (extremely concerned) about the new (Covid-19) strain in South Africa is that they are not sure that vaccines will be as effective in preventing it as they are effective in preventing the strain,” said Beston. (New) in Britain ».

Britain and South Africa discovered two new strains of the emerging corona virus recently, which caused an accelerated spread of infection with the disease.

Scientists said that the new strain that appeared in South Africa is different from the strains spread in Britain, because it witnessed several mutations and mutations in an important protein that the virus uses to infect human cells.

This new strain has also been linked to a greater concentration of virus particles in patients' bodies, which may contribute to higher rates of disease spread.

Experts said that the new Corona variant "B.1.1.7" (the new strain) could make containing the pandemic more difficult.

The German virologist, Joerg Thim from the University Hospital Düsseldorf, told the German news agency (dpa) that based on the available data, it seems likely that the variable will soon also be dominant in Germany, and he added: “I think that the number of cases will be reduced. Now fundamentally necessary for sustainable infection control.

If the data on the increased infection of the new variant are correct, and I assume so, the task will certainly be more difficult.

Adam Loring, an expert in RNA virus evolution at the University of Michigan in the United States, said in a podcast: “Decision-makers will think about what to do about the rules of Corona,” explaining that because the variables spread faster, these measures must be more stringent to achieve the effect Himself in containment, he said: “We have to improve the measures we take to control the virus.

If it does not happen, we will witness more cases of corona, ”indicating that this also means more serious injuries and more deaths.

The B.1.1.7 variant was first detected in Britain, and meanwhile it has been detected in other countries.

To date, only a small number of cases infected with this variant have been detected in Germany, for example in the states of Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia.

Nevertheless, the German Robert Koch Institute expects to combat more cases.

- British Minister of Health: We have vaccinated more than a million people with the "Covid-19" vaccine.

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