New COVID-19 Variant Discovered in France

A new variant of the coronavirus has been identified in southern France. This was reported on January 3 by the electronic version of the Austrian newspaper Heute.

The publication notes that the unknown variant was detected in travelers returning from Cameroon to France. Experts do not exclude that the virus strain might be prevalent in that African country. Tests on all infected individuals have revealed a 'non-typical combination of mutations', according to the publication.

The new variant has been designated B.1.640.2 and was discovered by doctors in Marseille. French scientists note that the new variant contains 46 mutations. The level of threat or transmissibility of this strain remains unknown.

Information about the detection of the new mutation in southern France was also disseminated by major German-language media outlets on the evening of January 3, as reported by TASS.