Denmark registers 256 cases of more contagious coronavirus variant

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Denmark on Saturday discovered its first case of a variant of the more contagious coronavirus from South Africa and has seen an increase in the number of infections with the highly transmissible variant B117 first identified in Great Britain. Brittany, health authorities said.

The Nordic country extended a three-week lockdown on Wednesday in an effort to reduce the spread of the new variant from Britain, which authorities expect to be dominant by mid-February.

Denmark has become a pioneer in the surveillance of coronavirus mutations by running most positive tests via genome sequencing analysis.

Between mid-November and January 10, 256 Danes were infected with the new British variant, the State Serum Institute (SSI) said in a report released on Saturday.

This corresponded to 1.3% of all positive tests genetically analyzed during this period.

In the first week of January, the percentage share of testing positive with the mutation was 3.6%, a growth rate that worried authorities and caused the lockdown to be extended.

Preliminary data showed 11 of those infected with the variant had traveled before infection, including five to Britain, but SSI said it was not clear whether they had been infected overseas or at home. Denmark.

Later on Saturday, SSI announced that the first case of infection with another more contagious variant first discovered in South Africa had also been recorded, in a person who had traveled to Dubai.