NEW YORK Health experts say the U.S. is behind in detecting dangerous coronavirus mutations but trying to catch up.
President Joe Biden is proposing a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that calls for boosting federal spending on sequencing of the virus.
Viruses mutate constantly. Less than 1% of positive specimens in the U.S. are being sequenced to determine whether they have mutations. Other countries do better Britain sequences about 10%.
After the slow start, public health labs in at least 33 states are doing genetic analysis to identify emerging coronavirus variants. The CDC believes 5,000 to 10,000 samples should be analyzed weekly in the U.S. to adequately monitor variants, said Gregory Armstrong, who oversees the agency’s advanced molecular detection work. The nation is now hitting that level, he says.
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The World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Africa in Brazzaville, Congo, says COVID-19 cases and deaths are surging in Africa as new, more contagious variants of the virus spread.
The UN health agency disclosed this in a statement posted on its website.
It stated that over 175,000 new COVID-19 cases and more than 6,200 deaths were reported in Africa in the last week, while infections rose by 50 per cent on the continent.
It added that “infections rose by 50 per cent between Dec. 29, 2020 and Jan. 25, 2021, compared with the previous four weeks.
COVID-19 cases and deaths are surging in Africa as new, more contagious variants of the virus spread to additional countries.
Over 175 000 new COVID-19 cases and more than 6200 deaths were reported in Africa in the last week while infections rose by 50% on the continent between 29 December 2020 and 25 January 2021 when compared with the previous four weeks. In the past week, there has been a small dip in cases in South Africa, but 22 countries continue to see their case numbers surge. Deaths rose two-fold in the same four-week period, with over 15 000 concentrated in 10 mainly southern and northern African nations.
The 501Y.V2 variant, first identified in South Africa, is predominant and powering record case numbers in South Africa and the sub-region. It has been found in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, the French Indian Ocean region of Mayotte, Zambia and in 24 non-African nations.
Over 175 000 new COVID-19 cases and more than 6200 deaths were reported in Africa in the last week while infections rose by 50% on the continent between 29 December 2020 and 25 January 2021 when compared with the previous four weeks. In the past week, there has been a small dip in cases in South Africa, but 22 countries continue to see their case numbers surge. Deaths rose two-fold in the same four-week period, with over 15 000 concentrated in 10 mainly southern and northern African nations.
The 501Y.V2 variant, first identified in South Africa, is predominant and powering record case numbers in South Africa and the sub-region. It has been found in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, the French Indian Ocean region of Mayotte, Zambia and in 24 non-African nations.