China reports first positive case of new COVID-19 strain

China has detected its first imported case of the new coronavirus variant that is spreading rapidly around Britain, according to a publication run by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).The variant was detected in a 23-year-old female student returning to China from Britain, who was tested in Shanghai on December 14, according to the latest edition of China CDC Weekly.The case “poses a great potential threat to the prevention and control of Covid-19 in China”, the publication said.

The new strain, which experts say potentially spreads faster than the original variant, has prompted travel restrictions on the UK by more than 50 countries -- including China, where the coronavirus first emerged late last year. Earlier, China had  suspended flights to and from Britain after it reported a new, more infectious strain of the coronavirus. China has already imposed strict entry requirements to curb the spread of the coronavirus and last month banned foreign arrivals from a number of countries including Britain, Belgium, India and the Philippines.