The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) has told the government to wait for more scientific information on the new strain of COVID-19 published in the United Kingdom (UK) that has sent countries scrambling to put measures in place to guard against it. The new variant appears to be more transferable, but there’s no indication it’s more lethal, the BBC reported Tuesday.
Many countries have banned travel from the UK. Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony Tuesday said Health officials will be meeting with stakeholders to put them on the new strain of the virus so that people are on alert.
“We have had some discussions with CARPHA yesterday and are trying to get a consensus from the Caribbean perspective and how to respond to this and our advice from CARPHA is that we should wait a bit to see what happens and to find out more of scientific knowledge. before we make a decision, ”said the Health Minister.
Two Caribbean countries – Jamaica and Grenada – are among countries that have already restricted flights from the UK.
Meanwhile, Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) has also suspended mail to the UK until further notice.
“GPOC will continue to monitor the situation globally and make the necessary adjustments to our service. We regret any inconvenience caused and will continue to provide our customers with the necessary updates, ”GPOC said in a statement.
The BBC also noted that the new strain detected by the UK’s use of genomic surveillance is also being reported in Denmark, Australia, Italy and the Netherlands.
Some experts believe the new strain has already spread beyond where it was reported.
In another development, travelers from South Africa are also facing embargoes from some countries after another new variant of the virus was discovered unrelated to the one found in the UK.