Three Tunisians test positive for SA coronavirus variant

The three people in question are two men and a woman who arrived in the capital Tunis from abroad.

JOHANNESBURG, June 1 (ANA) – Three Tunisian citizens have tested positive for the South African coronavirus variant, according to a health official in the North African country.

Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Monday that Hechmi Louzir, a member of the scientific committee against the coronavirus, said that the people in question are two men and a woman who arrived in the capital Tunis from abroad.

Louzir emphasised the importance of strengthening efforts to identify the people who came into contact with them and perform tests to ascertain whether they have been exposed to the variant.

Meanwhile, the health ministry has called on travellers to follow all the measures put into place to curb the spread of the virus.

According to Asharq Al-Awsat, Louzir had previously revealed that the UK variant was the most common variant in Tunisia, accounting for 90% of infections.

“The epidemiological situation in the country is critical. Two thousand people are hospitalised, which requires intensifying the inoculation process and compliance to the preventive measures,” he was quoted as saying.

Cambodia’s Khmer Times reported on Monday that the variant first detected in South Africa is not believed to be more deadly than the initial variant but is known to spread more quickly.

According to the publication, there is only a small number of cases of the South African variant in the UK.

Meanwhile, in its latest update, Tunisia has reported 345,474 cases of Covid-19. The figure includes 303,467 recoveries and 12,654 deaths.

– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Yaron Blecher