France detects 1st case of South African virus variant

#Paris, #France

The #French #Health #Ministry on #Thursday confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus variant found in #South #Africa.

The new strain was identified in a #French national returning from a recent stay in #South #Africa. #He is currently isolated and recuperating well.

The man living in the #Haut-Rhin department close to the #Switzerland border, upon his return, had taken the RT-PCR test following symptoms suggestive of COVID-19, the ministry said in a statement. The test undertaken in #Switzerland was positive and was reported by the #Swiss health authorities to their counterparts in #France.

#Both, the #National #Reference #Center for #Emerging #Viral #Infections (CRIVE #Switzerland) and the #National #Reference #Center for #Respiratory #Infections #Viruses (CNR #France) confirmed the sequencing of the test sample with the 501 V2 variant.

#His contact tracing has found no people at risk.

#On #Dec. 25, #France had detected the new variant of COVID-19 circulating in the UK, in a man from #Tours city returning from #London.

#Reports of new cases had prompted authorities to set up a system for detecting and monitoring cases of infection or variant from passengers returning from the UK and #South #Africa, in order to spread their limit in #France.

The #Health #Ministry has made it mandatory to present a negative test conducted less than 72 hours prior for anyone returning to #France from the UK and #South #Africa.

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