The new coronavirus strain
first reported in Britain has been found in 50 countries while a similar South
African-identified strain has spread to 20, the World Health Organization said.
The British-identified variant VOC 202012/01 was first found on December 14 and
the South African-identified variant 501Y.V2 was first reported on December 18.

“The more the
SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads, the more opportunities it has to change. High levels
of transmission mean that we should expect more variants to emerge,” said
the WHO, AFP reported. 

Test results have
shown that the age and sex distribution was similar to that of other
circulating variants, while contact tracing data revealed “higher
transmissibility where the index case has the variant strain”.

“From preliminary
and ongoing investigations in South Africa, it is possible that the 501Y.V2
variant is more transmissible than variants circulating in South Africa
previously,” the WHO said in a weekly reported.

“Moreover, while
this new variant does not appear to cause more severe illness, the observed
rapid increases in case numbers has placed health systems under pressure,” the
report added.

Also Read: 102 people found infected with UK strain of coronavirus: Health Ministry

WHO further stated
that a third new coronavirus “variant of concern” found in Japan may
impact upon immune response and needs further investigation.

“This variant has
12 mutations to the spike protein, including three mutations of concern in
common with VOC 202012/01 and 501Y.V2. which may impact transmissibility and
host immune response,” the UN body said.