New COVID-19 variant raises risk of recovery limbo

New COVID-19 variant raises risk of recovery limbo

(The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are her own.) LONDON - A new Covid-19 mutation is threatening to suspend the world in coronavirus limbo. Countries including Britain and Singapore have imposed bans on travellers from South Africa and other nations where a concerning new variant has been detected. A highly infectious strain is a particular problem for economies with low vaccination rates. If it evades vaccines, another round of lockdowns could be on the cards at a time when governments and central banks have depleted firepower. The mutation, known as B.1.1.529, was identified this week. It has now been detected in Botswana, South Africa, Hong Kong and Israel. Although the number of cases is still small, there are two big concerns. The mutation appears more infectious than the dominant Delta variant. And its spike proteins are dramatically different to the ones in the original Covid-19 virus, raising the risk that it undermines the effectiveness of existing vaccines. Countries with low vaccination rates are most at risk. Less than a quarter of South Africa’s population is fully jabbed, and the country’s dense population means that highly infectious mutations take off faster than elsewhere. But European countries also