At St. Pancras Station in London, England, on the 20th, passengers are lining up to board the last train to Paris due to the corona 19 blockade. In the UK, the virus is spreading out of control with the emergence of the corona 19 strain. London = AP Yonhap News
A variant virus whose transmission power has been strengthened due to genetic modification of the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) has been confirmed in Asia and North America beyond Europe. With the advent of the vaccine, hopes of an end to the pandemic (a global pandemic) are rising, and new fears are spreading, leading to drastic border control.
On the 26th (local time), if foreign media such as the New York Times were put together, the corona19 variant was confirmed in at least 19 countries, starting with the first report from the UK on the 14th. In Europe, it was found in a total of 10 countries, including the Netherlands, Denmark, Italy, and Ireland, and in Asia, it was found in Singapore, Malaysia, and Japan. In Lebanon, a Middle Eastern country on the Mediterranean coast, authorities are also nervous about the virus.
Most recently, a corona 19 strain infection was reported in Ontario, Canada, and a variant virus was confirmed in the North American continent following Europe and Asia. In almost all cases, the virus variant was traced as a starting point for entrants from the UK, but two infected people in Canada have no travel history.
Variants have also been reported in Africa and Australia, including Nigeria and South Africa. Foreign media reported that a variant different from the existing Corona 19 was also confirmed in Brazil.
As in the case of Canada, where a confirmed person with no travel history appeared, internal spread is already a concern. In the United States, the country most affected by Corona 19, there was no announcement by the authorities, but it is already suspected that the strain is spreading. The county of Los Angeles, California (LA), has launched an investigation to see if the virus has spread from the UK.
The strain reported in the UK is known to be up to 70% stronger than the existing Corona 19. London, eastern England, and southeastern England are the epicenter of the spread of the variety, and the explosion of confirmed cases continues. According to the British Statistical Office (ONS), two-thirds of confirmed cases in these areas were infected with the strain. The more easily spread variant is rapidly replacing the existing virus.
There are still no strains that have a high possibility of affecting the Corona 19 fatality rate or neutralizing the vaccine effect among the strains.
Therefore, the fear of various countries over the variant is leading to drastic border control. Since those from the UK are the starting point of a variety of infections, restrictions on arrivals from the UK are fundamental. According to BBC Broadcasting, there are at least 40 countries restricting entry from the UK this month. Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait went a step further and closed their borders for a week. Japan also decided to temporarily suspend new entry for foreigners from the 28th to the end of January next year with only a few exceptions. From the 28th, the U.S. has requested that all aircraft passengers coming from the UK submit a negative Corona 19 test received within 72 hours before departure.
Kim So-yeon reporter [email protected]
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