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This was stated by unit leader Sara Byfors at the Public Health Authority at a press conference on Christmas Day.
The virus variant has been detected in a person in Södermanland. Infection control doctor Signar Mäkitalo says infection detection and testing is ongoing.
– This is a person who traveled to Sweden to celebrate Christmas, said Mäkitalo.
– The person tested positive on December 21 and today we were told that it was the variant of the mutated virus, he added.
Little social contact
He claims that the infected person has had little social contact since arriving in Sweden.
– But there is a risk that there are more in Sweden that have this variant, he adds.
Byfors at the Public Health Authority emphasizes that the situation is serious and that the authorities are closely monitoring developments.
– On Monday, we issued a recommendation for everyone who has traveled to Sweden from the UK to test on day one and day five, he said.
– The recommendation applies regardless of whether you have no symptoms. We also advise those coming from the UK to avoid contact with other people for seven days after arriving in Sweden, he said.
Recommend isolation
Byfors added that close contacts are also recommended for isolation.
Sweden received the first doses of the Pfizer and Biontech vaccine on Saturday morning, as did Norway and many other European countries. Together with other EU countries, Sweden will start mass vaccination on Sunday.
The discovery of the new mutated variant will not affect vaccination plans, according to Byfors.
