South Africa plagued by another super-infectious mutant Covid strain that’s fuelling massive second wave
A NEW mutant Covid-19 strain is fuelling a second wave of the virus in South Africa with surging numbers of confirmed cases, hospitalisations and deaths, say experts.
The new variant of the virus — known as 501.V2 — is now making up about 80 to 90 per cent of new cases in Africa’s most industrialised nation.
The variant is different from the British strain that is spreading rapidly, but is also believed to be highly infectious.
“It is still very early but at this stage, the preliminary data suggests the virus that is now dominating in the second wave is spreading faster than the first wave,” Professor Salim Abdool Karim, chairman of the government's Ministerial Advisory Committee, said in a briefing.
The higher viral load in these swabs may translate into a higher efficiency of transmission
Professor Salim Abdool Karim
South Africa may see “many more cases” in the new wave than it experienced in the first surge of the disease, said Professor Karim.
“I will just speculate the following: the…higher viral load in these swabs may translate into a higher efficiency of transmission,” he added.
Scientists believe the mutant strain detected in the UK – as well as Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy and Australia – could have even .
Boffins have also revealed that the N501Y mutation was first spotted in Brazil back in April.
Mutations of Covid-19 are not unusual - the virus that was first detected in Wuhan, China, is not the same one now found in most parts of the world.
The D614G mutation emerged in Europe in February and became the globally dominant form of the virus.
Another, called A222V, spread across Europe and was linked to people's summer holidays in Spain.