Australia said it had detected patients infected with the new fast-spreading coronavirus strain identified in the United Kingdom, Reuters reports. Two travellers from the United Kingdom to Australia's New South Wales state were found to be infected with the mutated variant of the virus that Britain has said could be up to 70 percent more infectious. Both are in hotel quarantine, and the recent spike in infections in Sydney is not linked to this, authorities said. The new strain has prompted Britain's European neighbours and several others including Canada and Iran to close their doors to travellers from the country.

Source: The Standard December 21, 2020 13:24 UTC