Germany detects new coronavirus variant linked to Norway, Luxembourg in Halle

By ANI | Published: February 5, 2021 12:16 AM2021-02-05T00:16:19+5:302021-02-06T00:05:02+5:30

A new coronavirus variant, known as B.1.1.6 and previously identified in Norway and Luxembourg, was detected for the first time in Germany, in the central city of Halle, Mayor Bernd Wiegand said on Thursday.

Germany detects new coronavirus variant linked to Norway, Luxembourg in Halle | Germany detects new coronavirus variant linked to Norway, Luxembourg in Halle

Germany detects new coronavirus variant linked to Norway, Luxembourg in Halle

A new coronavirus variant, known as B.1.1.6 and previously identified in Norway and Luxembourg, was detected for the first time in Germany, in the central city of Halle, Mayor Bernd Wiegand said on Thursday.

According to Wiegand, one of the employees of a local hospital contracted the new strain.

"This variant, known as Norwegian, or Luxembourgian, also has an extremely high infection rate," the mayor said in a statement.

The B.1.1.6 variant reportedly originated in Luxembourg in late 2020 and it is not yet known if the strain causes more severe disease.

The infected hospital employee is quarantined at home. It is unknown where she may have contracted the new variant.

There are several thousand coronavirus variants circulating around the world but some strains cause more concern among health experts than others, including the UK variant and the South African variant, which are known to be more transmissible. (/Sputnik)

( With inputs from ANI )

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

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