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WHO says it is in close contact with UK officials on new COVID-19 virus variant

A new strain of coronavirus identified in the United Kingdom is up to 70 percent more infectious but it is not thought to be more deadly and vaccines should still be effective

Reuters
December 20, 2020 / 09:46 IST
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UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a news conference on the COVID-19 situation in November 2020. (File Image: Jamie Lorriman/Pool via Reuters)
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a news conference on the COVID-19 situation in November 2020. (File Image: Jamie Lorriman/Pool via Reuters)

The World Health Organization (WHO) on December 19 said it was in close contact with UK officials over a new COVID-19 virus variant.

"They'll (UK officials) continue to share info & results of their analysis & ongoing studies. We'll update Member States & public as we learn more about the characteristics of this virus variant & any implications," WHO said in a tweet.

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In another tweet it advised people to continue taking protective measures to prevent spread of COVID-19 and to comply with guidance from national authorities.

A new strain of coronavirus identified in the United Kingdom is up to 70 percent more infectious but it is not thought to be more deadly and vaccines should still be effective, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and scientists said on December 19.

COVID-19 Vaccine
Frequently Asked Questions

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How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.
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