There are 14,000 cases of Covid caused by mutant strains in South Africa

South Africa reported a record number of coronavirus cases in a single day attributable to a new “more infectious” variant already found in the UK.

The country recorded more than 14,000 cases on Wednesday, the highest total number of pandemics, while the death toll surpassed 400 for the first time since August 5.

Dr. South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize warned that the virus is now spreading “exponentially” and that new lockdown measures may need to be taken.

Eight countries, including the UK, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, have banned travelers from South Africa in order to curb the spread of the new strain.

However, the new variant, named 501.V2, has already been discovered in two locations in the UK – one in London and one in the northwest – in contacts with people who have recently been to South Africa.

South Africa has reported 14,046 new cases of coronavirus – the highest one-day total in the entire pandemic in the country caused by a new and more infectious mutant strain

The country also reported 411 deaths on Wednesday, the third highest total number of pandemics and the first time since August 5 that deaths exceeded 400

The UK is among eight countries that have cut off most or all of South Africa’s travel to control the spread, despite the fact that the virus has already been found in two locations in the UK

Dr. Mkhize announced the new numbers on Wednesday, saying the rate of spread is much faster than the first wave and we will surpass the first wave’s peak in the coming days.

“We need to warn South Africans that we need to review the current restrictions and consider further measures to ensure we contain this alarming rate of spread,” he added.

“We can never stress enough that citizens must take all necessary precautions as we celebrate the festive season and look for a reprieve for a tough year.

“Unfortunately, Covid-19 is relentless and we cannot afford to be complacent at this stage.”

The surge in cases is being driven by young people accused of ignoring the rules of social distancing at year-end parties and festive celebrations.

Dr. Mkhize has raised the possibility that the disease could be more deadly in young people as well, stating that doctors “see a greater proportion of younger patients with no comorbidities with critical illness”.

However, he also stressed that research into the new variant, which was first identified in South Africa on Friday last week, is still in its infancy and it is too early to say definitively whether it causes a more serious disease.

Meanwhile, CDC officials in Africa have also uncovered the existence of a third new strain of the virus in Nigeria, different from those discovered in South Africa and the UK.

John Nkengasong, head of the CDC in Africa, said the variant is different from the one in the UK and South Africa.

However, he did not discuss what effects the new variant could have – for example, more contagious or deadly.

“Give us some time … It’s very early,” he said.

In a series of tweets dubbed an “urgent update” on Wednesday, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps wrote: “I have decided to temporarily suspend flights and arrivals coming into England from SOUTH AFRICA from SOUTH AFRICA tomorrow after a new variety from coronavirus.

British and Irish nationals, visa holders and permanent residents traveling from South Africa can enter but must self-isolate with their household for ten days.

“Visitors from South Africa are not allowed to enter to stop the spread of COVID-19.”

The UK has already put in place extensive Tier 4 lockdowns to curb the spread of a mutant strain of the virus that is up to 70% more transmissible, and more studies are ongoing.

South African doctors say their patients are younger and don’t always have other conditions that make the virus worse, but still have more severe forms of Covid-19.

South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said the new strain appeared to have spread faster, but it was too early to determine its severity and see if current vaccines would work against it.

“The evidence gathered therefore strongly suggests that the current second wave we are witnessing is being driven by this new variant,” added Mkhize.

The mutant strain was first observed in rising Covid-19 cases, which the country had only predicted over the winter in April next year.

Professor Tulio de Oliveira told CBS News that more and more cases had been discovered on the South African coast.

Prof. de Oliveira warned: “Maybe the virus will start to outsmart us.”

South Africa’s coronavirus mutant is driving a second wave, and more than 8,500 have been hospitalized – more than the country’s first wave peak of 8,300 inpatients

The number of new daily confirmed Covid-19 deaths per million people has skyrocketed in South Africa since the beginning of the month, while the number remains significantly higher in the UK

A large number of tests produce positive 7-day moving averages in both the UK and South Africa

The average daily COVID hospital admissions in the UK are 1,909 per day, Matt Hancock confirmed today. Last week’s numbers from South Africa showed that the numbers were increasing to around 500

Covid-19 infections and deaths are increasing in both South Africa and the UK. The UK today announced 39,237 cases and 744 deaths

Covid-19 cases are on the rise in all regions of South Africa as concerns arise about a new strain first discovered along its coast

In a series of tweets dubbed an “urgent update”, Secretary of Transportation Grant Shapps wrote, “I have decided to temporarily suspend flights and arrivals from SOUTH AFRICA tomorrow from 9 a.m. following the outbreak of a new coronavirus strain.”

He added: “British and Irish nationals, visa holders and permanent residents traveling from South Africa may enter but must self-isolate with their household for ten days.”

Mr. Shapps concluded, “Visitors from South Africa are not allowed to enter to stop the spread of COVID-19

He added: “We are very concerned not only for South Africa but also for the rest of Africa.

“Our health system has been affected by the HIV and TB epidemics for 20 years, so we are rather concerned that, if Africa has escaped the first wave quite successfully, unless it steps up and tries to control this virus.” We may not escape this second wave as successfully as we did the first. ‘

The mutation means the country may see “a lot more cases” in the new wave than it did when the disease first rose.

Young people have made headlines in South Africa for fueling the spread of the new strain with raves, and parents have been criticized for failing to keep their children under tighter control.

There has been a lot of coverage on social media about super spreader events like soccer tournaments, weddings, street parties, and pub sessions.

Mutations in viruses are to be expected – more than 4,000 different coronavirus strains have been tracked – but genomics experts watch out for critical changes in spike proteins that can alter how people suffer from the disease.

“In the UK they also identified a new variant … there are some similarities between the two lines … there are also a similar number of mutations,” said Professor Tulio de Oliviera, a member of the Cape Town Genomics Consortium.

The two cases of the South African variant discovered in the UK were found in London and the northwest.

The fact that they were discovered through routine random sampling, selecting only about one in ten tests performed – and that they were believed to have been infected by different travelers – suggests that there are many more cases of the variant already in the UK .

The UK is a world leader in tracking changes in the virus, so it is likely that many more such mutants are already widespread.

The British mutant has already been found in samples from scientists in Denmark, the Netherlands and Australia.

With the UK variant, however, the scientists have expressed confidence that the mutation will not affect the vaccine’s effectiveness.

This is because when the body produces antibodies to a virus, it does so for large chunks of its genetic data, meaning that a more significant mutation would be required to defeat the vaccine.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “This new variant is extremely worrying as it is even more transmissible and appears to have mutated further when the new variant was discovered in the UK.”

A mother holds her young child while they wait for food during a feeding program and are handing out food today in Coronationville, Johannesburg, South Africa by the NGO Hunger Has No Religion

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday it had contacted the South African researchers who had identified the new variant.

“We are working with them in our working group on the development of the SARS-CoV-2 virus,” said WHO epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove, using the full name for the virus.

“They are growing the virus in the country and working with researchers to see changes in the behavior of the virus itself in relation to transmission.”

Like Britain, South Africa has isolated itself through a series of travel bans following the discovery of the new tribe.

Aviation experts said they expected more airlines and countries to follow suit, at least until more was known.

A nurse conducts a coronavirus test in Richmond, Johannesburg last Friday, with cases and deaths increasing in South Africa