PARIS – French authorities are warning of a new variant of the coronavirus in northwestern Brittany that escapes detection by standard PCR tests.
Although more difficult to detect, “initial analyzes of this new variant suggest neither an increase in severity nor an increase in transmissibility,” the health ministry said in a statement late on Monday.
The World Health Organization has placed this new strain in its “variant under investigation” category due to its ignorant PCR tests. This category includes most of the thousands of naturally occurring variants – of which only a small proportion will represent public health problems – as opposed to the “variant of concern” category, which includes strains found in Brazil, the United Kingdom and South Africa.
An in-depth investigation is underway in Brittany after eight cases were identified as having the sequencing variant in a group of 79 cases in the city of Lannion.
The announcement was made at a time when France is fighting the resurgence of coronavirus cases, with President Emmanuel Macron warning that new blocking measures may occur in the coming days.
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