View
comments
The federal health minister insists Australia is well prepared should a new COVID-19 variant, which has experts alarmed, arrive in Australia.
South African scientists have detected a new variant in the country, dubbed the Nu strain, which has double the number of mutations of the Delta variant.
Overseas health officials have warned the Nu variant is likely to evade the immune response from vaccinations.
Health Minister Greg Hunt has held meetings on the variant with chief medical officer Paul Kelly and health department secretary Brendan Murphy.
This chart shows the proportion of cases that were the B.1.1.529 variant (blue) and Indian 'Delta' variant (red) over time in South Africa. It suggests that the mutant strain could outcompete Delta in the province within weeks
No changes will be made to flights between Australia and South Africa following the variant's discovery.
Mr Hunt said the variant's emergence would not mean an immediate change to the national reopening plan, but the response would be swift should advice change.
'We've always been flexible, and if the medical advice is that we need to change, we
