Mexico detects first case of UK strain of coronavirus

Mexico City [Mexico], January 11 (ANI/Sputnik): Mexico has confirmed its first case of the UK strain of the coronavirus, Gloria Molina Gamboa, the secretary of health of the Tamaulipas state, said.
According to the official, the new strain, known as B117, was confirmed in an international traveller, who arrived in the state from Mexico City on December 29.
"The result of the test for the new strain of SARS-CoV-2, which originally appeared in the United Kingdom in mid-September and has become the predominant variant in the country, has come back positive," Molina said in a statement.
The health secretary added that all passengers and crew, who had been on the same flight, were tested negative.
In December, the UK announced that a new coronavirus strain was detected in the country, adding that the new variant can be up to 70 per cent more transmissible than other SARS-CoV-2 variants. After the news, many countries suspended travel to and from the UK. There is no evidence that the new strain is more pathogenic. (ANI/Sputnik)