The mutated virus strain has reached more than 20 countries

It all started when British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that a new variant of the coronavirus, which can be up to 70% more contagious, was spreading rapidly in Britain. Another strain of the virus, found in South Africa, is also a cause for concern.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that there is not enough information yet to determine whether the new coronavirus variants could adversely affect the effectiveness of the vaccines now available in many countries around the world.

However, most experts believe that the vaccines will most likely respond to the new strain in their original form.

Among the countries that have recorded cases of new executives are the following:

* Switzerland has recorded five cases of the new strain from Britain and two cases involving the mutation from South Africa, said an official of the country’s Ministry of Health, adding that he expects more cases.

* Denmark has identified 33 infections from the strain that appeared in Britain, as reported by the authorities on December 24.

* France, the country with the highest number of cases in the European Union, recorded the first case of the new executive in a French national who returned to the country from London.

* India has identified six cases of the “British” executive on a flight from Britain and is likely to extend the flight ban in order to be shielded against him, officials said on Tuesday.

* Japan spotted a South African executive on Monday, according to the government. It is noted that the country has recorded more than 12 cases of the mutation from Britain.

* South Korea says the variant of the virus from Britain was detected in three people who arrived in the country from London on December 22. Officials have pledged to speed up vaccinations.

* Norway said the British officer was spotted by two people who arrived in the country from the UK earlier in December.

* Australia has announced that two passengers from the United Kingdom were positive for the “British” executive.

* Jordan has also identified the first two cases of the mutation spreading to Britain. Last week, the country imposed a ban on flights to and from Britain until January 3.

* Germany said the British executive was spotted on a passenger flight from Frankfurt to London on December 20. According to the newspaper “Die Welt”, it seems that this mutation has existed in the country since November.

* Italy has identified a patient who had been infected by the “British” executive, as announced by the Italian Ministry of Health on December 20.

* The same strain was found on the Portuguese island of Madeira, according to the local civil protection authority.

* Health officials in Finland say the British strain has been identified in two people, and a case of the mutation has been detected in South Africa.

* Sweden said the British officer had been spotted on a British passenger who had symptoms on arrival and was diagnosed positive.

* Officials in Canada have stated that two cases of the “British” executive have been identified in Ontario.

* On Christmas Day, Ireland confirmed the presence of the British executive in the country and said that conducting more tests would determine the extent to which it has spread.

* Lebanon spotted the first case of the same executive on a flight from London.

* Singapore confirmed the first case of the strain in a patient who arrived in the country from Britain on December 6, at a time when another 11 people who had already been quarantined tested positive for the new strain, based on early results. .

* Israel has identified four cases of the British executive. Three of the four cases were in passengers returning from England.

* The “British” executive seems to have infected two students who returned to Hong Kong from the United Kingdom, the Ministry of Health said last week.

Pakistani health officials said on Tuesday that the British official had been located in the southern province of Sindh.

* Finally, a new variant of the virus may have appeared in Nigeria, said the head of the African Disease Control Agency, but noted that more research will be needed.

Source: Reuters