MEXICO CITY (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd April, 2021) Bolivia's Ministry of Health has registered the presence of the UK variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in two regions of the country, Deputy Minister Maria Renee Castro said.
"There is an important variety circulating in our country that exactly matches B1.1.7, a strain that is the British variant," the official said during a press conference, fragments of which were posted on the ministry's Twitter.
According to the ministry, the UK variant was identified in two departments of Bolivia. The genetic material was earlier sent for sequencing to Brazil.
Castro said laboratory tests had revealed the presence of other types of the virus, which were currently being studied by experts.
According to the authorities, since the beginning of the epidemic, 291,000 cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in Bolivia, with 12,695 deaths. A total of 38,600 people are currently sick.
