The World Health Organization's (WHO) emergency committee is examining the variants of the coronavirus that are concerning countries around the world.
According to the French News Agency (AFP), referencing a statement from the WHO published in Geneva, the emergency committee is convening today to study these variants to enhance pandemic control through measures such as lockdowns, curfews, and vaccination campaigns. The statement further indicated that the organization called on its expert committee, which typically meets every three months, to convene two weeks ahead of its regular meeting to particularly discuss these variants that require "urgent discussion," noting that recommendations will be issued to the WHO and its member states following today's meeting.
The variants of the novel coronavirus are highly contagious, particularly the British and South African variants, which are spreading rapidly around the globe. The WHO reported that the British variant has been identified in 50 countries, while the South African variant is present in 20 countries, although the actual numbers may be higher.
Japan announced last Sunday the detection of a third variant originating from the Brazilian Amazon, which may affect immune response and has been labeled a "variant of concern" by the WHO.
Earlier, Chinese television confirmed that a global team of scientists led by the WHO arrived in Wuhan to investigate the origins of the coronavirus, with the team expected to spend nearly a month in the city, located in central China, where the novel coronavirus first emerged in late 2019, including two weeks in quarantine.
It is worth noting that the virus has reappeared in China after previously being widely contained, with the first death reported today since May.
