A new variant of COVID-19 has emerged in southern Africa with an “incredibly high” number of mutations, scientists have warned.
It is feared that the variant, officially named B.1.1529 and first identified in Botswana, could drive further transmissions of the disease. Very few cases, just 10, have been identified so far, all of them related to southern Africa.
The variant has an unusually high number of variations, which may allow it to evade natural and vaccine-induced immunity.
