First US Case of South Africa Variant Confirmed... Three Days After Brazil Variant Detected

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The first case of COVID-19 variant virus infection originating from South Africa (Namagong) has been reported in the United States. This comes just three days after the discovery of the Brazil-origin variant.

On the 28th (local time), the South Carolina Department of Health confirmed two cases of the South Africa-origin variant virus, according to major foreign media including The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

The authorities explained that neither of the two confirmed cases had traveled to South Africa, and they did not know each other.

The South Africa-origin variant virus was first discovered in October last year and has since been identified in over 30 countries. Like the UK-origin variant, it is known to be about 1.5 times more transmissible than the original virus.

With this, the US has confirmed variants originating from the UK, Brazil, and South Africa. The UK-origin variant has currently been found in at least 315 people across 28 states.

The Brazil-origin variant was detected in one person in Minnesota on the 25th. Unlike the South Africa-origin variant cases, the Brazil-origin variant case had a travel history to Brazil.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.