Medics Suspect S. African Strain Of COVID-19 Reaching Czech Republic - Health Authority

Experts from a Czech national reference laboratory (NRL) on Tuesday received two samples possibly containing the South African strain of the coronavirus, which could have entered the country from the outside, the National Institute of Public Health said

PRAGUE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd February, 2021) Experts from a Czech national reference laboratory (NRL) on Tuesday received two samples possibly containing the South African strain of the coronavirus, which could have entered the country from the outside, the National Institute of Public Health said.

"The NRL has not yet confirmed that we have the South African strain of the coronavirus. We have information about two samples, one of which was prepared to be studied, while the other was not suited due to a low RNA concentration," the institute's spokesperson Klara Dolakova told journalists, adding that both are suspected to have arrived from abroad.

According to the spokesperson, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has already warned the national health agencies about a spike of mutated variants across Europe.

The mutated strain was first detected in South Africa last October and since then has spread to Europe. It is believed to be more contagious than the original coronavirus.