Covid-19: Variant Debate
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Lord Randall of Uxbridge
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Covid-19: Variant
Lord Randall of Uxbridge Excerpts(3 years, 7 months ago)
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Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Con) [V]
My Lords, my noble friend rightly underlines that new variants are appearing not just here but anywhere in the world. Can he explain the process for notifying such variants worldwide and say how any assessment of their characteristics is passed on?
Lord Bethell (Con)
My noble friend asks a very challenging question. The honest truth is that we have to look at the systems whereby that data is exchanged. CMOs around the world have extremely regular contact with each other, and a lot of the data is exchanged through the formal links of the scientific community. But I think that there is a case for more structured intergovernmental exchange of data about the new variants, because this will be the major challenge of the year ahead.