virus variant

Hong Kong’s current entry requirements are already some of the strictest in the world.

Two studies have found no evidence that people with B117 experience worse symptoms or a greater risk of developing long Covid than those infected with different variants, although the variant is associated with a higher viral load and reproduction rate than normal variants.

The number of people aged 39 or younger in ICUs with Covid-19 in March rose sharply to more than 11,000, or 52.2% of the total, up from 14.6% of total ICU patients early in the pandemic and around 45% from September through February.

The South African variant is able, to some extent, to break through the vaccine's protection, they say.

The variant was first identified among four local cases in March.

Researchers compared data for nearly 55,000 pairs of participants who tested positive in the community – rather than in hospitals – between October and January and followed them for 28 days.

Health DG Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah says the Nigerian variant may cause an increase in transmissibility and a possible reduction in immune response.

The investment will increase sequencing carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention more than threefold from about 7,000 samples per week to approximately 25,000.

But the vaccine developers in Britain say informally the results offer some hope that the vaccine could prevent deaths from the variant.

The vast majority of mutations are of little importance, but WHO has urged countries to actively work to spot mutations that might significantly alter either the virus's virulence or transmissibility.

Initially British experts said evidence suggested the new strain was between 50% and 70% more transmissible, but the government later said it could also be 30-40% more deadly.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has reimposed a ban on children aged 10 to 14 leaving home, a move which others say could hamper economic recovery.