Cyprus has reported 12 cases of the new coronavirus strain in people who had recently traveled from the UK, the health ministry said on Sunday, as was reported by Reuters.
The new strain of COVID-19, now spreading around the world, was first found in Britain and is more transmissible than the original version of the virus first identified in China a year ago. Another new strain was found in South Africa. The government of Cyprus has declared 12 cases of the new coronavirus strain. The infected people have been recently traveling to the United Kingdom, which has now imposed a strict lockdown.
Of 19 positive tests for COVID-19 recorded on individuals who arrived in Cyprus from Britain between Dec. 6-20, Cypriot authorities found that 12 were for the new variant, the health ministry said.
Notably, Cyprus has reported a sharp surge in COVID-19 cases in the past three weeks, with cases on the island occasionally exceeding 600 a day. Since the outbreak has first surfaced in Cyprus in early March and until Jan. 2, 23,445 people have been infected.129 people have died.
The very first reports of a new strain of coronavirus appeared on December 14 in the UK. According to Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that the strain could be 70% more contagious.
As was reported earlier by ‘Apostrophe’, the new variant is spreading more rapidly than the original version. According to the WHO evidence, along with the UK, the same mutation of the COVID-19 virus has been detected in the Netherlands, Denmark and Australia.