PARIS – French authorities warn of new variant of coronavirus in northwestern Brittany region escaping detection by standard PCR tests.
While they are more difficult to detect, “initial analyzes of this new variant suggest neither greater severity nor greater transmissibility,” the health ministry said in a statement last Monday.
The World Health Organization has placed this new strain in its category of “variant under investigation” due to the overlooked PCR tests. This category includes most of the thousands of naturally occurring variants, of which only a small proportion will pose public health problems, as opposed to the “variant of concern” category, which includes strains found in Brazil. , the United Kingdom and South Africa.
An in-depth investigation is underway in Brittany, after eight cases were identified as carriers of the sequencing variant in a group of 79 cases in the city of Lannion.
The announcement came as France battled a resurgence of coronavirus cases, with President Emmanuel Macron warning that new blockade measures could arrive in the coming days.
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