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Added on the 28/01/2021 15:36:15 - Copyright : AFPTV - First images
Some people carry biological links to their Neanderthal ancestors, and new research from Europe says in the current pandemic, that's not good news. Modern humans and Neanderthals are known to have interbred at various points in history, resulting in an exchange of genes than can still be found today. According to HuffPost, Neanderthal genes may increase the likelihood of suffering severe forms of COVID-19. A particular cluster of genes--called a haplotype--has been linked to a higher risk of hospitalization and respiratory failure in novel coronavirus patients. The haplotype is found in about 16% of the population in Europe and half the population in South Asia. In Africa and East Asia, it is non-existent. The genes are one of several risk factors for COVID-19, including age, sex, and pre-existing conditions like obesity, diabetes, and heart problems.
Images from an arrival hall at an international airport in Shanghai as China starts issuing a range of visas to foreigners again. The move marks the latest step towards reopening China to the outside world, as Beijing breaks with the strict zero-Covid strategy that defined its pandemic response until a few months ago. IMAGES
"An ongoing surge in China is not anticipated to significantly impact the COVID-19 epidemiological situation in the WHO European Region" says the World Health Organization's European regional director, Hans Kluge. "The surge of two virus variants circulating in China are those that have already been seen in Europe and elsewhere," he adds. China is battling a wave of Covid cases since the government's decision to lift nearly three years of restrictions. SOUNDBITE
Images show the Ramada Hotel in Schiphol, Netherlands where Europe's highest number of people so far with the Omicron strain of Covid-19 are being kept in isolation. IMAGES
The World Health Organization says that Europe and Central Asia could see another half a million deaths by February next year. SOUNDBITE from Director of WHO Europe Hans Kluge
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