World Health Organization (WHO) officials are expected to provide an update on the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic on Tuesday.

U.K. scientists expressed concern on Monday that COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out in Britain may not be able to protect against a new variant of the coronavirus that emerged in South Africa and has spread internationally.

Both Britain and South Africa have detected new, more transmissible variants of the COVID-19-causing virus in recent weeks that have driven a surge in cases.

Scientists say both the South African and U.K. variants are associated with a higher viral load, meaning a greater concentration of virus particles in patients’ bodies, possibly contributing to increased transmission.

A team from the WHO is also preparing to visit China this month to investigate the origins of COVID-19.

For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca/news/7553824/coronavirus-variant-south-africa-scientists/

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