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Denmark confirms first case of infectious Covid-19 variant P1

Ritzau/The Local
Ritzau/The Local - [email protected]
Denmark confirms first case of infectious Covid-19 variant P1
Lang kø ved midlertidigt COVID-19 testcenter på Next NEXT Uddannelse København på Frederiksborgvej i Københavns Nordvest kvarter lørdag den 27. februar 2021. Efter et smitteudbrud af den sydafrikanske variant af coronavirus har myndighederne i de seneste dage stemt dørklokker i omkring 700 hjem og opfordret til at folk lade sig teste.. (Foto: Philip Davali/Ritzau Scanpix)

The first case in Denmark of the P1 variant of the Covid-19, first identified in Brazil, has been confirmed by health authorities.

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Health minister Magnus Heunicke confirmed in a tweet that the P1 variant had now been detected in Denmark, while the national infectious disease agency, State Serum Institute (SSI), has stated that case occurred in the Greater Copenhagen region.

No information was released as to whether the infection occurred in Denmark or was imported by someone who travelled to the country from abroad.

Heunicke said that an intensive contact tracing effort was underway in order to minimise the risk that the variant could spread further.

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The P1 variant was first identified in January in tropical city Manaus in Brazil. It is considered to be more infectious than previous forms of Covid-19, like other new variants B117 and B1351.

It is unclear whether Covid-19 patients who become infected with the P1 variant become more ill with the virus compared to other types.

The World Health Organization believes the variant to now have spread to around 30 countries including several in Europe.

READ ALSO: Denmark reports first community transmission of B1351 variant

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