Filenews 22 December 2020 - by Marilena Panagi
Europe is on high alert following the detection of cases with the new strain of coronavirus in countries other than the United Kingdom (Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, Iceland and Belgium). The EU calls on the Member States to take their measures to prevent the spread of the new strain of the virus on their territory, the World Health Organisation issued a communication with recommendations, while yesterday the European Centre for Disease Control released its first report on a strain more contagious than the known mutations of the virus, with no indications, for the time being, of greater risk.
States, including Cyprus, are taking action with regard to people arriving on their territory from the United Kingdom, some countries have already closed their borders, while the Cypriot Ministry of Health has announced that those arriving on the island from Great Britain will be forced into a seven-day quarantine in hotels already designated.
At the same time, the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics began re-testing and evaluating all samples concerning individuals who had arrived last week in Cyprus from the United Kingdom, in order to determine whether the new strain of the virus is already in Cyprus.
Regarding the scientists' findings so far and according to what was announced yesterday by the EU through the first report: "Preliminary analysis in the United Kingdom suggests that this mutation is significantly more contagious than previous circulating variants, with an estimated potential to increase the number of reproductions by 0.4 or greater, with an estimated increased communicability of up to 70%".
At present, notes the competent European Institution, "there is no indication of an increased severity of the infection associated with the new mutation".
Scientists in Cyprus commented yesterday, in a different way, on developments around the mutation of the coronavirus.
Professor Leontios Kostrikis spoke of "unnecessary panic", Professor Georgios Panou argued that "if this virus passes into Cyprus, the rates in society that will contract the virus in a very short period of time will increase", while Professor Petros Karagiannis argued that the new strain of the virus may already be in Cyprus but also in the other countries of Europe and probably the EU did not act at all preventively.
"These mutations do not occur overnight. The mutant virus has probably been circulating for some weeks in Great Britain. It's already been detected in Italy, the Netherlands and even Australia. We have frequent air links to Britain and it may have come here as well. Therefore, all these preventive measures taken in European countries are a little late," said Petros Karagiannis.
Excessive and without any scientific substance, Professor Leontios Kostrikis described the reactions internationally. "What is currently being said in Britain lacks scientific findings," he said, adding, "and it is not possible to close airports every time a virus mutates. This virus has been around for a year and we should wait for its genetic mutations." He also pointed out that, in his own view, "political reasons lie around the exaggeration and panic that is currently being promoted in Britain" and suggested that "we must not unnecessarily panic the world."
Ongoing vaccine studies
The identification of the new strain of coronavirus inevitably obliges the scientific community internationally to conduct new research to determine whether the effectiveness of vaccines against the virus may be affected.
The European Centre for Disease Control in its report recommends patience, saying that "studies are under way to assess the impact of this new mutation on the risk of recurrence or the efficacy of vaccines currently in circulation".
Scientists, for their part, stress that the various researches must first be given time and then correct conclusions must be drawn and presented rather reassuringly.
"Studies are ongoing and we must wait to make sure that it has nothing to do with any issue that may be the beginning of some change in virus behaviour. However, this is not easy to do and we must consider that vaccines will work as we expected them to work," was Professor Panos' characteristic statement.
Why is this mutation of concern?
According to government sources in Great Britain, which has been forced to tighten measures and bans, the alarm was raised because of the findings of British scientists who investigated the new strain of the virus.
As the British media are reporting, this strain:
• Quickly replaces other versions of the virus.
• It has mutations that affect part of the virus that may be of particular importance.
• It has already been shown in the laboratory that some of these mutations increase the virus's ability to infect cells.
The new mutation was first detected in September. By November, a quarter of cases in London were due to this new strain. In mid-December, this percentage increased to 2/3. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the new strain could be up to 70% more contagious.
The parents of Cypriot students are shouting
Yesterday's decision by the Government to mandatory quarantine of those arriving in Cyprus from the United Kingdom naturally provoked a strong reaction from parents and Cypriot students who were planning to come to Cyprus for the Christmas and New Year holidays in the next 24 hours. In fact, some Cypriot students in England, who were returning to Cyprus yesterday for the holidays, found themselves in a difficult position since the Government's decision had immediate effect.
IN CYPRUS
Checks and quarantine
The Ministry of Health announced yesterday that passengers arriving in Cyprus from the United Kingdom will undergo a laboratory examination upon arrival at the airport and will be transferred to hotels in the Republic for a mandatory self-limit of 7 days.
Persons under the age of 18 will be able to self-restrict at home with the possibility of staying in hotels if they travel with their parents/guardians or, if they cannot, do the self-limit at home.
All persons will undergo a new examination on the 7th day and "those who have a negative result will continue their self-limitation at home for an additional 3 days (total days of restriction: 10)". On the 10th day "and provided that no symptoms occur, individuals will be released automatically".
It is stated that passengers arriving in Cyprus from another country via the United Kingdom are not required to remain confined to a hotel in the Republic. They must, however, remain under house arrest for a period of 14 days if travelling from Category C countries.
All data under monitoring
Strict controls and mandatory quarantine for all those entering EU Member States from the United Kingdom and South Africa, while increasing laboratory tests and very close monitoring of people undergoing vaccination, is recommended by the European Health Security Committee, which yesterday held an emergency teleconference and studied developments around the new strain of coronavirus.
In particular, as regards travel restrictions, the European Commission recommends that:
• Unnecessary travel to and from the United Kingdom and South Africa is avoided.
• Trafficking from the United Kingdom to the Member State shall not be restricted to nationals of the Member State or legally resident there.
However, mandatory isolation of at least 10 days and compulsory molecular examination are proposed.
In addition, it is recommended that:
- Increase in laboratory tests.
- Increase efforts to identify the new strain among the positive events recorded.
- Intensification of tracing and isolation of confirmed cases linked to travel history with the United Kingdom in the last two weeks.
- Increase the restrictive measures, if necessary, with a view to reducing the transmission of the new strain of the virus.
- Close monitoring of citizens vaccinated to determine the effectiveness of available vaccines in cases where re-infection of individuals is recorded.
According to the Commission's conclusions, 'although there are data on the high communicability of the new strain of the virus (R>0.4), in relation to the existing strain and approximately 70% greater communicability, further analysis is needed with regard to the severity of the disease, hospital admissions, mortality, the efficacy of the various vaccines, and the re-infection of individuals'.
