South African Health Minister Dr. Zweli Mkhize on Thursday refuted claims that the newly-identified Covid-19 variant circulating in the country was more dangerous than variants found in other countries, reported CGTN Africa.
He said that there is currently no evidence that the coronavirus variant found in the country causes more severe disease or increased mortality than the UK variant or any variant that has been sequenced around the world.
Mkhize also lambasted the United Kingdom government’s decision to ban international travel from South Africa in light of the 501.V2 (variant).
“Banning travel between UK and SA is an unfortunate decision,” he added.
He said that the risks of travel bans may outweigh the benefits and that it is possible to contain the spread of the new variant without banning international travel.
The statement came after the UK’s health secretary, Matt Hancock, on Wednesday said that the new variant of COVID-19 found in the African nation is more dangerous and more transmissible than the one found in England.
“At present, there is no evidence that the 501.V2 (variant) is more transmissible than the United Kingdom variant — as suggested by the British Health Secretary,” the South African minister said in a statement.
Mkhize said Hancock’s words have created a perception that the variant in SA has been a major factor in the second wave in the UK, and that is not correct. He pointed out to evidence that the strain found in the UK, which bears a similar mutation to the South African one, appeared as early as September in Kent, almost a month before the South African variant appears to have developed.
South Africa is the worst coronavirus hit country on the African continent. As of Friday, the total number of confirmed COVID 19 cases in the country has crossed the 983, 359 mark.
