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World Health Organization will hold meeting to evaluate new variant B.1.1.529

The World Health Organization (WHO) convened a meeting of experts in Geneva at noon local time (8:00 am EDT) this Friday (26) to evaluate the new variant of Covid-19, B.1.1 .529, amid growing concern, said WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier.

“WHO is convening a meeting to better understand the timing of ongoing studies and determine whether this variant should be designated as an Interest variant or Concern variant,” he said.

Nearly 100 sequences of the variant have been reported, and initial analyzes show that it has “a large number of mutations” that require further study, Lindmeier said.

According to the nomenclature used by the WHO, a variant “of concern” is classified as such when scientists point out that it has one of the following points: increased transmissibility, increased virulence or/and decreased effect of known therapies and measures against Covid-19 , such as vaccination.

A variant of “interest” must have been identified as causing community transmission and a large number of cases in a country or region.

WHO has not yet commented on travel restrictions imposed by some authorities on southern African countries linked to the variant, he added.

Countries start to impose restrictions

European countries such as Italy, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands have already imposed restrictions on flights from southern African countries due to concerns about the new variant.

The measure should take greater proportions in the coming weeks. That’s because the European Union commission also intends to propose the interruption of travel in the southern African region amid growing concern about the variant detected in South Africa, said the head of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Friday .

Decisions by the European Council, which represents the Member States, do not have to be taken by ministers, but can also be signed by the country’s ambassadors in Brussels.

Reference: CNN Brasil

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