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COVID-19 variants, first identified in the UK and South Africa, are now being found across the globe.
Nearly 30 countries have reported cases of the new, more transmissible strains.
Choi Min-jung reports.
New strains of COVID-19, which scientists believe to be up to seventy percent more infectious, are spreading widely across the continents.
According to CNN, at least 26 countries have reported cases of recently-discovered COVID-19 variants as of Tuesday.
This comes 3 months after the UK reported the very first case of the mutation in September.
The majority of cases of the new strain have been detected across the European continent.
According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control on Wednesday, the UK reported over 3,000 cases of the newly discovered variant.
The health agency also said dozens of European countries, including Switzerland, France, Denmark, and Germany, have detected the UK-linked mutation.
Meanwhile, the first case of the mutated virus in the U.S. was discovered in Colorado on Tuesday.
Unlike most of the cases, which involve recent visits to the UK, this patient appears to have no travel history.
In addition to the first confirmed case, the county's health officials suspect another man to have become infected with the variant, though it has not yet been confirmed.
Over in Asia-Pacific, countries including South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, India, and Singapore have reported cases of the UK virus strain.
Most of the patients were people who arrived back from the UK.
Separate to the UK variant, a new strain circulating in South Africa has been found in Japan, Switzerland and Finland.
And according to Nigerian health authorities a further mutation, different from those discovered in the UK and South Africa, was detected there as well.
With more and more countries reporting cases of the highly-infectious virus strains, governments around the world are imposing stricter restrictions on flight travel, as well as stronger measures for testing and quarantine upon arrival.
Choi Min-jung, Arirang News.
#COVID19 #coronavirus #UK
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2020-12-31, 10:00 (KST)
