A new strain of coronavirus is spreading at a rate exceeding the worst predicted. This was announced by the Prime Minister of Ireland Mikal Martin, according to the website of the country's government.
“It is already quite clear that we are dealing with a strain of disease that is spreading much, much faster. In fact, it is spreading at a rate that exceeds the most pessimistic models known to us, ”Martin emphasized, commenting on the tightening of restrictions in the republic against the background of the coronavirus until January 31.
As the prime minister explained, the country's healthcare system is currently under the threat of overload due to an increase in the incidence. In addition, the risks of death among the most vulnerable segments of the population are significantly increasing.
In total, since the beginning of the pandemic in Ireland, 90,157 cases of coronavirus infection have been identified, among those infected, 2,267 deaths have been recorded.
Earlier in December, World Health Organization (WHO) expert and President of the International Federation of Tropical Medicine Santiago Mas Coma said that a new mutation of the coronavirus could trigger a third wave of the pandemic.
A dangerous mutation of the coronavirus was first discovered in the UK in September, but it began to spread actively in December. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the new strain could be 70 percent more infectious. The mutation affected the area of the spike protein on the surface of the coronavirus, which is responsible for attaching to cells located in the mucous membrane of the lungs and a number of other organs.
