10 Cases of Infection with the British Strain of Coronavirus Found in Armenia

10 cases of infection with the British strain of the coronavirus have been identified in Armenia, as reported by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia.

The Human Genomics and Immunomics Laboratory of the Institute of Molecular Biology of the National Academy of Sciences, along with the scientific group of bioinformatics and researchers from the Chair of Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, and Molecular Biology at the Russian-Armenian University, have conducted sequencing of 12 complete genomes of the coronavirus using third-generation sequencing technology.

The samples were provided by the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the Ministry of Health on March 18 of this year.

In contrast to the January study, 10 out of the 12 samples obtained in March were found to contain the British strain of the coronavirus (B.1.1.7, VOC-202012/01).

Considering the possibility of being infected with different strains, the Ministry of Health once again urges the public to strictly adhere to anti-epidemic rules: wear masks, maintain at least 1.5 meters of distance, wash or disinfect hands frequently, and get vaccinated against COVID-19.