First case of South African COVID-19 variant confirmed in Georgia

Georgia has reported its first confirmed case of the South African coronavirus variant.

Head of the National Center for Disease Control Amiran Gamkrelidze said that the South African strain has been confirmed to a Georgian citizen with a travel history in Dubai.

"In this case, we are talking about the B1351 strain, which was confirmed to a Georgian citizen with a history of travelling to Dubai. His/her clinical condition is satisfactory, and is already fully recovered," Agenda.ge cited him as saying.

Gamkrelidze added that the family members of the patient are tested negative for Covid-19. 

There are currently multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating globally, including the B1351 variant, which emerged in South Africa and was first detected in Georgia a few days ago. It has been found in at least 30 other countries since it was first detected in South Africa in October 2020.