Sajid Javid: ‘Our scientists are deeply concerned’ over latest Covid variant

Guardian News published this video item, entitled “Sajid Javid: ‘Our scientists are deeply concerned’ over latest Covid variant” – below is their description.

The health secretary, Sajid Javid, has announced the UK will temporarily ban flights from several African countries, after the discovery of the B.1.1.529 Covid variant in the region against which vaccines might be less effective.

Officials characterise the variant, which has double the number of mutations as the currently dominant Delta variant, as the ‘worst one yet’.

Flights from South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Eswatini will be banned from Friday afternoon, and returning British travellers from those destinations will have to quarantine

B.1.1.529 Covid variant ‘most worrying we’ve seen’, says top UK medical adviser

What do we know about the new ‘worst ever’ Covid variant?

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Botswana, a landlocked country in Southern Africa, has a landscape defined by the Kalahari Desert and the Okavango Delta, which becomes a lush animal habitat during the seasonal floods. The massive Central Kalahari Game Reserve, with its fossilized river valleys and undulating grasslands, is home to numerous animals including giraffes, cheetahs, hyenas and wild dogs.

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