WHO: South African COVID variant more infectious than usual

The coronavirus variant found in South Africa is more contagious than usual, WHO expert Maria van Kerkhove said at a briefing, Report informs, referring to TASS.

"This strain is more contagious, just like the British one. However, with the implementation of the necessary measures, including social distancing, the spread of the infection can be brought under control," she noted.

"In terms of the severity of the disease and the number of hospitalization cases, we don’t see any changes. In terms of the effectiveness of vaccines, research is underway," she added.

In January, the WHO said that the emergence of new coronavirus variants was expected, as viruses tend to change regularly.