Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO has received several reports of unusual public health events possibly due to variants of SARS-CoV-2. In August and September 2020, a SARS-CoV-2 variant linked to infection among farmed mink and subsequently transmitted to humans, was identified in North Jutland, Denmark. While SARS-CoV-2 VOC 202012/01 from the UK also has the N501Y mutation, phylogenetic analysis has shown that 501Y.V2 from South Africa are different virus variants. While mutations of SARS-CoV-2 are expected, it is important to continue to monitor the public health implications of new virus variants. Any increased in transmissibility associated with SARS-CoV-2 variants could make control more difficult.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 31, 2020 18:11 UTC