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Sweden and Spain have become the latest countries to report cases of the highly contagious new variant of the coronavirus, which is believed to have emerged in the UK.
In Sweden, it was found in a traveler who became ill after arriving from Britain and later tested positive, the country’s health agency said on December 26.
Official Sara Byfors said the person has been isolating himself and no more cases have been detected so far.
It arrived despite the fact that the authorities tried to prevent the new variant from arriving by briefly closing the border with Denmark, where it is known to have already been detected before Christmas.
In Spain, meanwhile, four people have been found to have the new variant, authorities revealed Saturday.
Authorities said the first case appeared to have come when an infected person flew to Madrid.
The new variant, dubbed VUI-202012/01, has sparked worldwide concern after scientists warned that it could be up to 70% more infectious than others currently in circulation.
After it was first discovered in south-east England, countries around the world, including Canada, China, and much of Europe, closed their borders to travelers from the United Kingdom in an effort to prevent the variant from reaching their destinations. coasts. France has banned carriers from crossing the Channel without a negative Covid-19 test.
The United States has said that all air passengers flying from the United Kingdom must also submit a negative test.
But several other countries have reported the new variant, including Japan, Denmark, Australia, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the Philippines.
France confirmed its first case of VUI-202012/01 on Christmas Day when a Health Ministry official said a citizen of the city of Tours had tested positive after arriving from London on December 19.
The new variant was first detected in England in September, but authorities began to suspect it was the cause of the rising infection rates in London and the South East in early December.
About two-thirds of people who now test positive in these areas could have the new variant, according to estimates from the Office for National Statistics.
