“This is the most significant variant we have encountered to date,' said Dr Jenny Harries, chief executive of the U.K. Health Security Agency.
The variant was found earlier this week and has been discovered in South Africa, Botswana and Hong Kong, according to the agency. But the extent of the spread has yet to be determined, it added.
The WHO said in an emailed statement Friday that it was convening a meeting of its Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution to better understand the timeline for studies underway on the variant and to determine whether it should be designated as a"variant of interest" or"variant of concern."
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