The French Ministry of health said today that the first case of the South African variant of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) virus 501.V2 has been detected in the territory.
South African authorities detected variant 501.V2 in mid-December and have since found traces of the new variant in Japan and the United Kingdom, among other places. V2 and another variant of the virus found in the United Kingdom are both believed to be more infectious.
A man returning from South Africa to his home in Haut-Rhin, a province bordering Switzerland, was tested for this variant of the virus.
South Africa is the worst affected country in Africa, with more than 1 million people infected and 26,000 dead so far.
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