WHO Holds Emergency Meeting To Discuss The New Corona virus Variant

By Oluchi Ihediuche

The World Health Organization WHO summons an emergency meeting with its committee, two weeks early, to discuss the urgent threat from rapidly-spreading new coronavirus variants.

Newly identified mutations of the virus, which appear to be significantly more infectious, come as spiking case numbers force many countries to enforce new restrictions.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in his opening remarks said it was a matter of urgency to seek advice against the second variant of the virus.

“There are two urgent issues which need particular attention, and for which we seek your advice,”

“The first is the recent emergence of new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus; and the second is the potential use of vaccination and testing certificates for international travel.

“One theme ties both issues together: solidarity. We cannot afford to prioritise or punish certain groups or countries.”

There are concerns that the new variant strains of the virus may render certain vaccines less effective, undermining hopes that immunisation offers the best hope of recovery from the global pandemic.

The recently-discovered variants can only be identified by sequencing their genetic code — an analysis that is not possible everywhere