MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th December, 2020) The Pakistani Health Department has identified the first three patients with the mutated COVID-19 variant among those returning from the United Kingdom, where the new strain was first detected.
The cases were confirmed in Pakistan's southeastern Sindh province, namely, in the port city of Karachi.
"Three [out of six samples] showed the new variant for the COVID-19 in the first phase of testing," the Sindh Health Department said, as cited by the GEO broadcaster on Tuesday.
The authorities have begun the search for possible contact cases of those infected with the new virus strain to put them under isolation.
Earlier in December, the UK health authorities announced they had found a new variant of the coronavirus that is 70 percent more transmissible than other Sars-Cov-2 virus strains but does not appear to be deadlier. However, countries worldwide, including Pakistan, have shut their borders and disrupted travel to the UK.
Islamabad on Monday announced its decision to expand coronavirus-related travel restrictions to the UK until January 4.
