Monday, a member of the Epidemics Committee Bassam Al-Hijjawi, said that the new mutation of COVID-19 is characterized by its rapid spread, indicating that it is 70 percent faster than the previous variants, according to sources in the UK.

During his participation in Roya’s ‘Nabd Al-Balad’ program, Hijjawi added that not much is known about the strain. All that is known, he said, is that the virus will cause more infections than previous ones due to its quicker speed in infecting humans.

Hijjawi indicated that the strain does not impose further risk of complication or death, stressing that information is scarce and nothing is proven yet.

This strain has become a great deal of interest, and according to Hijjawi, 17 genetic mutations have been recorded from the beginning of September until now. Additionally, he indicated that the current variant is an incomplete mutation.

Precautionary measures must be taken by Jordan as the virus develops, which is why the suspension of flights at Queen Alia International Airport to and from Britain is a sound decision, he added.

Anything is possible, said Hijjawi while not ruling out possibilities of another total lockdown in Jordan. This is due to the development of the virus and the effects it may have on society, he added.