Sweden, Canada and Spain on Saturday became the latest countries to report cases of the more contagious and genetically distinct variant of...
Sweden, Canada and Spain on Saturday became the latest countries to report cases of the more contagious and genetically distinct variant of the coronavirus that was first discovered in Britain.
The variant has also been detected in France, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany and Italy, according to The Washington Post.
The Canadian cases, identified in a couple in southern Ontario with no known travel history, exposure or high-risk contact, came as the province went into a lockdown on Saturday, according to Reuters. “This further reinforces the need for Ontarians to stay home as much as possible and continue to follow all public health advice, including the provincewide shutdown measures beginning today,” said Ontario’s Associate Chief Medical Officer Barbara Yaffe.
Swedish authorities detected the new strain after a traveller from Britain fell ill on arrival and tested positive, The Guardian reported, quoting Sweden’s health agency. Sara Byfors, a health agency official, said that the traveller, who was not identified, was kept in isolation after arrival in Sweden and that no further positive cases had been detected as of Saturday.
Sweden had imposed travel restrictions earlier this month on passengers from Britain amid concerns over the new strain.
In Spain, four cases of the coronavirus variant believed to be particularly infectious were confirmed in Madrid,...
