Azerbaijani scientist comments on reports of new coronavirus strain

Chairman of German-Azerbaijani Radiological and Neuroradiological Society, doctor of medical sciences at the University of Cologne Clinic Nuran Abdullayev has commented on a new mutant strain of coronavirus in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Australia after England.

Azerbaijani scientist told Report that it is wrong to scare people by circulating information from foreign press about a relatively modified type of coronavirus:

"In general, the relevant agencies should have issued an official statement on this issue yesterday. Unfortunately, I did not come across such publications. So, I owe it to myself to educate people. Since we are going through a susceptible period, and any misconception causes serious psychological shocks. Yesterday, some sources even said that the virus was renamed "B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2". None of such reports are based on facts. Our people should accept B.1.1.7 as a branch of the virus or a stream in its lineage (English: lineage B.1.1.7). There have been some changes in this line in England, and these changes began to multiply in four weeks. Laboratory testings detected these changes during viral infections in different parts of the UK. As the proliferation of these changes coincides with the rapid spread of the virus in the UK, British scientists are right to be concerned and urge the whole world to keep a close eye on such changes. Following the reports on new COVID variant detected in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Australia, some countries have taken strict security measures. This mutation in the virus has not yet been compared with the previous virus in the laboratory. Without making such a comparison, it is not scientifically correct to debate that this pathogen change makes it even more dangerous. If the laboratory can not prove such a conclusion, then the increase of the virus in that period was just a coincidence. "

"Unfortunately, we have not yet assessed the situation with such changes in Azerbaijan from January to date. As I said, assessing it months ago and determining the exact time of initial infection would open a different way to fight the virus in Azerbaijan. Our general situation is complicated by the fact that we do not know whether the new changes have already occurred in Azerbaijan. Therefore, the country should take full security measures and suspend relations with many countries at risk," he said.

He also said that such mutations are not likely to affect the function of the first-generation vaccines to be applied in the early stage, especially the role of vaccines based on gene technology. If necessary, gene technology can be a basis for a vaccine suitable for such changes. He added that these mutant viruses had not yet been officially announced in Germany, where he lives.