South Africa Detects New Coronavirus Variant

South African scientists have expressed concern about a new COVID-19 variant that has been detected in small numbers, and are working to understand its potential implications.

A statement issued on Thursday by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), disclosed that 22 positive cases of the new variant have been recorded in the country following genomic sequencing.

The statement noted that the variant has a very unusual constellation of mutations, which makes it evade the body’s immune response and make it more transmissible.