New strain of coronavirus detected in Azerbaijan
By Vafa Ismayilova
A new strain of coronavirus ('British' strain) has been detected in Azerbaijan, Trend has reported, citing the Management Union of Medical Territorial Units (TABIB) of Azerbaijan.
It should be noted that the Coronavac vaccine used in Azerbaijan against the coronavirus is effective against new strains as well.
Meanwhile, the head of the working group on infectious diseases under TABIB, Vasif Aliyev, said that as many as two-thirds of the Azerbaijani population must develop antibodies in order to form mass immunity to COVID-19, and so the vaccination process should be accelerated.
Aliyev called on Azerbaijani citizens to be vaccinated in a timely manner to protect themselves from the virus.
"Problems with vaccines have always existed, just like people who didn’t want to have their children vaccinated against various diseases, believing that this would cause paralysis or other negative consequences. However, vaccines have more benefits than the possibility of side effects," he added.
Aliyev said that it is wrong to connect an increase in the number of infections in Azerbaijan with the existence of the "British" COVID-19.
He stressed that a person cannot himself reveal what kind of COVID-19 strain he is infected with.
"The 'British' COVID-19 strain has the same symptoms but is a lot more infectious. The prescribed treatment for infection with this strain does not differ from the previous one either," the head of the working group added.
It should be noted that Azerbaijan registered 840 new COVID-19 cases on March 17.
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