A more contagious variant of the coronavirus first identified in Britain has now been detected in Senegal, its health institute said on Thursday, just as measures to contain the spread of the virus appeared to have stalled a recent surge.
British scientists say the UK variant may be up to 70% more transmissible and also more lethal — with a mortality risk about 30% higher.
“Due to the fact that these variants are transmitted more rapidly, which could explain the speed of spread of the disease in some countries, it is imperative that individual and collective prevention measures be scrupulously applied,” Souleymane Mboup, president of the health institute, said on TV.