Covid-19: Be strict to stop new coronavirus strains

According to a group of experts, enforcing strict measures now will help to prevent the rise of new, potentially more dangerous variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star

A group of scientists is calling on governments to consider the continued use of strict control measures as the only way to reduce the evolution and spread of new Covid-19 variants.

The experts in evolution, virology, infectious disease and genomics from the University of East Anglia and the Earlham Institute in the United Kingdom, and the University of Minnesota in the United States, warn that while governments are negotiating a “precarious balance” between saving the economy and preventing Covid-19 fatalities, stronger action now is the best way to mitigate against more serious outcomes from such virulent strains later.