The Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population (MoHSPP) is taking measures to detect and prevent the spread of a new variant of the novel coronavirus in the country.
According to the MoHSPP press center, Health Minister Jamoliddin Abdullozoda visited the Dushanbe International Airport on February 2 to get acquainted with the work the lab carrying out PRC-based tests at the airport.
The labor is reportedly able to detect passengers infected with COVID-19 or the British variant of SARS-CoV-2 in short time.
The MoHSPP claims that no new cases of COVID-19 have been detected in the country since the beginning of the year.
British variant of SARS-CoV-2 has not yet been detected in Tajikistan, according to the ministry
At the same time, the ministry calls on people to wear face masks, respect social-distancing rules and observe the standards of sanitation and hygiene.
Variant of Concern 202012/01, abbreviated B.1.1.7 VOC-202012/01 or commonly known as the UK variant or British variant, is a variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. One of several variants believed to be of particular importance, it is estimated to be 30%–80% more transmissible than wild-type SARS-CoV-2 and was detected in November 2020 from a sample taken in September, during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom; it began to spread quickly by mid-December, and is correlated with a significant increase in SARS-CoV-2 infections in the country. This increase is thought to be at least partly because of one or more mutations in the virus's spike protein. The variant is also notable for having more mutations than normally seen.
