Ecuador records first case of new coronavirus variant

BOGOTA, Colombia

Ecuador registered its first case of the new coronavirus strain that first emerged in Britain last month, presidential administration spokeswoman Maria Caridad Vela said Monday.

In a press release, she said the new strain was seen in a passenger who arrived from London on Dec. 12, before the UK had informed the World Health Organization (WHO) about the variant, and had tested negative back then.

She said the patient is 50 years old and is receiving treatment in the city of Los Rios and 14 more people are under surveillance.

In Ecuador, all passengers coming from abroad have to present negative PCR test results done in the last 10 days.

Last month, the UK announced the discovery of a new fast-spreading COVID-19 strain.

In light of this, the WHO has asked European countries to redouble their health measures.

Ecuador has so far reported at least 221,506 cases and 14,184 deaths from the virus, while the country’s tally of recoveries exceeds 190,000.

Since December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed more than 1.94 million lives in 191 countries and regions.

Over 90.8 million cases have been reported worldwide, with recoveries now over 50.2 million, according to figures compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University.

The US, India and Brazil remain the worst-hit countries in terms of cases.

*Writing by Burak Dag in Ankara