Health Ministry reveals plans to deal with mutated COVID-19 strain

Jordan

Published: 2020-12-22 12:55

Last Updated: 2024-03-27 09:50


Health Ministry reveals plans to deal with mutated COVID-19 strain
Health Ministry reveals plans to deal with mutated COVID-19 strain

Tuesday, the Assistant Secretary-General for Primary Health Care Ghazi Sharkas, confirmed that the Ministry of Health, along with research bodies are conducting several studies and working on providing a special laboratory for diagnosis of the new strain.

He said, "we will work hard to provide the means for a PCR test for the new strain, and there are research bodies working on the subject,” adding that the ministry is investigating the subject in close proximity to ensure public safety and to know whether the strain exists in Jordan or not.

Additionally, Sharkas pointed out that the ministry will be tracking down recent returnees from Britain.

Sharkas confirmed that the vaccination is effective on the new strain while pointing out that controlling virus mutations may be achieved by vaccinating the largest possible number of people in the world.

Sharkas noted that mutations occur in unvaccinated people who have little immunity.

It is likely that a person infected with the Coronavirus will not be infected again with the new strain, but there is no scientific evidence for this, he added.

He said that the mutated COVID-19 variant recorded last September in the UK did not have a significant lethal impact, but in the past weeks had increased infections in Britain significantly.