Dr. Chandima Jeewandara of the Department of Anthropology and Molecular Studies at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura says that according to the available data on the Covid epidemic worldwide, the A.30 variant of the Covid-19 virus is not currently spreading globally.
The doctor pointed out that the strain was already extinct and therefore should not be unnecessarily panicked, citing a study by German researchers who found that the A.30 Covid strain was avoiding vaccines.
Of the more than 45 genomes stored in the GISAID database, only 5 belong to the A.30 generation.
Of those, three are in Angola, one in Sweden and one in the United Kingdom, but the last was found in May and June 2021, he said.
However, in some places where the test capacity is limited, it may go undetected and new strains of can be formed which are resistant to vaccines. Therefore, it is essential to conduct research on a regular basis.
The vaccine should be further confirmed to be the best alternative for Covid and there should be no need to worry unnecessarily about this strain, but the study of new strains and spread variation changes should be done through continuous monitoring, he said.
