WHO: New genetic variant of coronavirus found in UK
(VOVWORLD) - The World Health Organization (WHO) has found a new variant of Covid-19 that has emerged in Britain, but there is no evidence the strain behaves differently to existing types of the virus, the group said on Monday.
The WHO's top emergency expert Mike Ryan told a news briefing in Geneva that the WHO is aware of this genetic variant reported in 1,000 individuals in England, adding authorities are looking at its significance.
The US Department of Agriculture said on Monday that it confirmed the first known case of the coronavirus in a wild animal: a mink.
The discovery increases concerns about outbreaks in mink as the virus has killed more than 15,000 farmed mink in the US since August. Global health officials are investigating the potential risk the animals may pose after Denmark started eliminating its farmed mink population of 17 million last month, warning that a mutated coronavirus strain could move to humans.