South Korea is latest country to detect new mutant COVID-19 strain

Health authorities in South Korea have confirmed that they have recorded the first case of the mutant COVID-19 virus variant which was originally identified in the Eastern part of the United Kingdom.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said in a statement on Sunday that the discovery has accelerated efforts to launch a nationwide COVID-19 vaccination programme.

“Efforts are in place to launch a public vaccination programme as the new variant was found in three people who had entered South Korea from London, UK, on December 22.

READ ALSO: South Korea bans gatherings of five or more over covid-19 scare

“808 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded as of midnight Sunday, the lowest since a record 1,241 infections were logged on Friday,” the statement by the KDCA revealed in part.

This came days after health authorities in China banned all flights to and from the United Kingdom due to the new mutant COVID-19 strain sweeping across Eastern England.

The order was issued on Thursday in a statement by the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin who did not offer details on when flights would stop.

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