By PTIJOHANNESBURG: A new COVID-19 variant has been detected in South Africa which has infected 22 people and experts are working overtime to understand what its potential implications could be, scientists said here on Thursday. Twenty-two positive cases of the new variant - called B.1.1.529 - have been recorded in South Africa following genomic sequencing collaborations between the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, and private laboratories. "It is not surprising that a new variant has been detected in South Africa," said Prof Adrian Puren, NICD Acting Executive Director. Detected cases and per cent testing positive are both increasing quickly, particularly in the most populated provinces of Gauteng, North West and Limpopo. Dr Michelle Groome, Head of the Division of Public Health Surveillance and Response at the NICD, said that provincial health authorities remain on high alert and are prioritising the sequencing of COVID-19 positive samples.

Source: The North Africa Journal November 25, 2021 15:17 UTC