The Swedish Public Health Agency has confirmed that the first cases of the new strain of the Chinese coronavirus, originally detected in Britain, have been found in the province of Södermanland.
The agency made the announcement at a press conference on Boxing Day, December 26th, stating the person who tested positive for the new coronavirus strain had travelled from the UK to Sweden on the 20th of December.
According to the agency, so far none of the other household members who have come into contact with the infected individual has tested positive for it, broadcaster SVT reports.
The region’s infectious disease control doctor Signar Mäkitalo said: “It’s a person who has gone to Sweden to celebrate Christmas with family. The person fell ill when they arrived at the house in Södermanland.”
“In my opinion, the person has behaved in an exemplary manner during the trip to the house and avoided contact with other people. I assess the risk of infection during the trip as low,” Mäkitalo said, adding that it was not currently the only case of the virus mutation in Sweden.
Virus researcher Ali Mirazimi from the Karolinska Institutet told the broadcaster that while the new strain is more infectious, it is not more deadly than the original, but added that as it spreads more quickly, it could overwhelm hospitals.
Earlier this month, the UK government announced the discovery of the new strain of the virus, which has led many European countries to close their borders to the UK completely such as France, which left European truck drivers stranded at the port of Dover over Christmas. Drivers were forced to line up in their lorries along major roads in Kent for miles, while they waited to be tested.
Sweden also announced a flight travel ban on December 21st which was initially for 48 hours but was later extended for the remainder of the year.