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New, more infectious coronavirus variant from South Africa found in UK
South Africa s health department said last week that a new genetic mutation of the virus had been discovered and might be responsible for a recent surge in infections there. Updated: December 24, 2020 1:06:33 pm
FILE - In this Sunday Dec. 20, 2020 file photo a woman pulls a suitcase past the Christmas tree on the concourse of Waterloo Station in central London, (Victoria Jones/PA via AP, File)
A new, potentially more infectious variant of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has been found in Britain in cases linked to South Africa, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Wednesday.
UK confirms second new strain of coronavirus Thursday, 24 December 2020 7:05 AM
[ Last Update: Thursday, 24 December 2020 8:20 AM ] British Health Secretary Matt Hancock arrives at 10 Downing Street, in London, the UK, on December 16, 2020. (Photo by AFP)
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock has announced that another new, possibly more infectious variant of the coronavirus has been found in the UK.
“Thanks to the impressive genomic capability of the South Africans, we’ve detected two cases of another new variant of coronavirus here in the UK,” Hancock said at a news conference in the capital, London, on Wednesday.
Hancock said both cases were contacts of people who had traveled from South Africa over the last few weeks, adding that those with the new variant and their contacts were quarantining.