Health experts warns the world is yet to see the ‘real face’ of UK virus
LIMERICK: Experts expect the UK variant of the COVID-19 to leap in the coming weeks. Professor Cathal Walsh from the Health Research Institute at the University of Limerick said that we will have to work harder to contain the more infectious UK variant.
In a research paper presented by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Professor Cathal Walsh highlighted the additional risks posed by “variant substitution”. The paper says the UK B117 variant will dominate the US by March. The more deadly contagious UK variant requires a more stringent containment strategy, which the CDC paper says should be implemented immediately.
Virus in Ireland and the UK
The B117 variant is already prevalent in Ireland. It has been found in more than 50% of new cases reported in recent weeks. But the full effect has not yet been seen, Prof. Walsh said. Prof. Walsh is also a member of the Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group that advises the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET).
He said the reproductive (R) number would have to be reduced to 0.7 or 0.6 to prevent the spread of the virus. Previously it was enough to be below 1.0. The most important thing is to follow public health regulations as much as possible. People should also strictly follow the guidelines such as staying in a well-ventilated area and working from home – Professor said.
There have been some positive indications that the rate of COVID-19 infection is declining in Ireland. However, statistics and experts say the next two to three weeks will be crucial.
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