Australia is on edge as new mutant super-strains of highly infectious coronavirus threaten to wreak havoc across the country.
A family of four that flew in to New South Wales from South Africa have tested positive for the highly infectious coronavirus super-strain.
On Thursday night, NSW Health detected the South African variant in PCR samples from the family, who are in hotel quarantine.
The discovery has alarmed NSW Health authorities, as the South African strain has independently mutated the exact same genomic variant as the United Kingdom super-strain - making both strains nearly 50 per cent more transmissible than the original virus.
South Africa is ‘running out of coffins’ as the country is overwhelmed by a 120 per cent surge in covid deaths
South Africa is facing highly-infectious mutant strain of coronavirus which has caused a spike in deaths and cases
Funeral undertakers now hoping for a vaccine amid high demand for coffins and an increasing number of their staff dying
Funeral directors said they are scared as business owners and humans of virus
Scots urged to act like they have coronavirus and stay at home on Hogmanay
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said people cannot let up now in the fight against the virus.
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ANI | Updated: Jan 01, 2021 04:12 IST
Paris [France], January 1 (ANI/Sputnik): France has registered its first case of a new coronavirus strain, known as 501.V2 variant and linked to South Africa, the country s Health Ministry said on Thursday.
According to the statement, a man, who has recently returned to the country from South Africa and lives in the French department of Haute-Rhin near the Swiss border, was confirmed to have contracted the virus. A few days after returning from South Africa, the man showed symptoms of COVID-19. His PCR test came back positive.
Swiss and French infectious disease specialists conducted a study and confirmed that this is 501.V2 strain.