More contagious and deadly coronavirus strains circulating in the DR

The Dominican Republic is home to the new variants of the Covid-19 virus first reported in the United Kingdom at the end of 2020, and the one associated with local circulation in Brazil.

This was reported by Dr. Robert Paulino Ramirez, researcher, and director of the Institute of Tropical Medicine & Global Health of the Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE), who indicated that these variants of SARS-CoV-2, are associated with community transmission and that they were identified in samples taken from November last year to February, from patients who had tested positive for Covid-19.

Paulino Ramirez explained that the investigation resulted in the identification of the local circulation of variants B.1.1.7 and P.1, which have been reported in different places, with B.1.1.7 being reported for the first time in the United Kingdom at the end of 2020, and P.1, which was associated with local circulation in Brazil, and whose community transmission in the country was not known.

The physician stated that 222 positive samples of the Covid-19 virus were selected from patients diagnosed at the institute, of which 125 were analyzed, resulting in 22 of them being positive for the UK variant and others for the Brazilian variant.

When contacted by telephone by HOY newspaper, Robert Paulino added that none of the South African variants were identified, although they were studied.

He assured that the results of the investigation were sent two weeks ago to the Ministry of Public Health.