Lindsay Cautions Against New COVID-19 Variant Called SARS-CoV-2 Spreading Fast Across South Africa

By Onwuka Gerald

A multi-media journalist, Lindsay Dentlinger, @metrobabe has raised alarm over new lineage of COVID-19 virus which she identified as the dominant form in the second wave currently present in South Africa.

She stated that a new lineage, which is a group of mutated viruses, of SARS-CoV-2 has emerged in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces of South Africa.

The Parliamentary journalist made the disclosure in a series of Tweets via her official Twitter handle on Saturday.

Lindsay Dentlinger quoting South African epidemiologist and infectious disease specialist, Prof. Salim Abdool Karim, said in Western cape, the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed to a great extent peak of the first wave.

Continuing, @metrobabe said when compared to the first wave in which South Africa recorded 36 lineages of COVID-19 mostly derived from Europe, the second wave of the virus is now in all provinces in the country; and has displayed signs of spreading rapidly such more than one witnessed in the first.

According to her, “I expect the second wave to carry a less potent virus. However, it remains unclear if deaths recorded are more severe than the first.

She continued that the new variant gotten from the second wave of COVID-19 has three mutations that attaches to the human cell.

“Researches at early stage has shown that the new COVID-19 variant transmits much faster than the former, saying that Prof. Karim even confirmed that it is unusual for a new virus variant to contain so many mutations”, she stated.

@metrobabe concluded that there however has not been data available about the new variant for one of South Africa’s provinces, Gauteng.

Her words, “A new lineage of #COVID19 traced in SA. It’s been the dominant form in this second wave. It appears it emerged in the Eastern Cape (EC), spreading to KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and Garden Route, and now accounts for around 88 percent of cases in Cape Town.

In a related development, South Africa’s Health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said on Friday night that a new variant of the virus has been identified in the country and is circulating widely, adding that it remains vague if its more dangerous than the original variants.