The surge has been attributed to the spread of the Brazil variant

The surge has been attributed to the spread of the Brazil variant

By Onlykhabar News Media Tue 6 April, 2021 ( about 5 years ago ) 🎤811 Viewersinternational

Coronavirus figures released by health authorities across South America on Monday.

Uruguay and Paraguay registered record numbers of daily deaths, while the total number of Covid cases surpassed the 13-million mark in Brazil. The variant is thought to be more than twice as transmissible as the original.  Experts say that the development of new variants is not surprising: all viruses mutate as they make copies of themselves to spread. The P.1, or Brazil, variant has become a cause for concern is because it is thought to be much more contagious than the original strain. 

It has mutations on the spike protein, that part of the virus which attaches to human cells, and it is these mutations which are thought to make it more transmissible. As genetic sequencing is not widespread throughout the region, it is hard to determine how widely the variant has spread.  In Paraguay, health officials said that half of the cases on the border with Brazil were caused by the variant. However, the risk has always been deemed high, as Brazil shares borders with 10 countries.

The director of the Pan-American Health Organization, Carissa Etienne, has warned that the situation constitutes "an active public health emergency". And while vaccination is going ahead speedily in Chile and Uruguay, it has been slow in many other countries of the region.

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By Onlykhabar News Media Tue 6 April, 2021 🎤811 Viewersinternational
TAGS: Brasil Corona South America
The surge has been attributed to the spread of the Brazil variant

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