Pakistan closely monitoring new coronavirus strain, says govt

• New strain has not been identified yet
• Govt closely monitoring situation
• All passengers arriving from the UK being evaluated

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of National Health Services has dismissed rumours that the new strain of the novel coronavirus, identified in Britain, has been detected in Pakistan. 

In a statement issued on Twitter, the ministry said the situation in Pakistan is being closed monitored as all the passengers arriving from the United Kingdom are being evaluated. 

"As of today, no such variant of the SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in Pakistan," it read. "The National Institute of Health is sensitive and on alert regarding this new strain for timely detection and addressal."

Also read: Has the new coronavirus strain reached Pakistan?

Meanwhile, a total of 2,152 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours, bringing the national tally to 467,222. With 85 new deaths, the country's coronavirus death toll reached 9,753. So far, a total of 418,958 people have recovered from the virus while the active number of cases stands at 38,511.

New coronavirus

 A new variant of the pandemic SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is spreading rapidly in Britain and prompting high levels of concern in the world with some countries, including Pakistan, imposing travel ban on UK. 

The strain, referred to by some experts as the B.1.1.7 lineage, is not the first new variant of the pandemic virus to emerge, but is said to be up to 70% more transmissible than the previously dominant strain in the United Kingdom.

The main worry is that the variant is significantly more transmissible than the original strain. It has 23 mutations in its genetic code - a relatively high number of changes - and some of these are affecting its ability to spread.

Scientists say it is about 40%-70% more transmissible.

Read more: Pakistan updates travel restrictions for inbound travelers from UK

Will the vaccine work?

Scientists say there’s no evidence that vaccines currently being deployed in the UK - made by Pfizer and BioNtech - or other COVID-19 shots in development will not protect against this variant. 

At least four drugmakers expect their COVID-19 vaccines will be effective against the new fast-spreading variant of the virus that is raging in Britain and are performing tests that should provide confirmation in a few weeks.

With additional input from Reuters.