The new strain of COVID-19, which was first identified in the United Kingdom, has spread to other countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed on Sunday. It has been found in Denmark, the Netherlands and Australia. However, Australia has so far seen only one case and the strain has not spread further, WHO epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove told the BBC.
She added that sequencing the virus will help health authorities to understand if the variant is circulating in other countries, as well as to understand changes in the coronavirus. "The longer this virus spreads, the more opportunities it has to change. So we really need to do everything we can right now to prevent spread. Minimizing that spread will reduce the chances of it changing," Van Kerkhove explained.
