Belgium registered this Friday (26) the first European case of the new variant of Covid-19, identified so far as B.1.1.529.
The information was shared by a virologist on social media. According to Marc Van Ranst, whose laboratory works in conjunction with the Belgian public health department, the case was identified in a traveler returning from Egypt to Belgium on 11 November.
He reportedly showed the first symptoms on November 22, wrote the virologist.
The information has not yet been confirmed by the country’s authorities.
Other cases of the variant, which would have appeared in Botswana, a country in southern Africa, were also found in Israel, Hong Kong and South Africa – whose researchers alerted the world about the emergence of the new strain.
Concern over the new variant of Covid-19 has made countries consider new measures to restrict flights across borders, in addition to having shaken the world’s financial markets this Friday.
Second survey carried out by CNN this Friday morning (26), at least 10 nations had already announced blockades to countries in southern Africa.
Itamaraty informed, in a note, that it still has no position on the conduct that Brazil should adopt in relation to the new variant.
The National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), on the other hand, recommended that restrictive measures be implemented for flights and travelers coming from the region. The countries of South Africa, Botswana, Swatini, Lesotho, Namibia and Zimbabwe are on the list.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned countries on Friday against the hasty imposition of travel restrictions related to the new variant, saying they should undertake a “science-based risk assessment”.
This Friday, the agency meets to assess the available information on the variant, as well as to determine whether it will be classified as a “variant of interest or variant of concern”. If it meets the necessary requirements, the new strain will then receive a new identification from the United Nations body.
*With information from Reuters
Reference: CNN Brasil
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