Sweden says it found first case of UK coronavirus variant

Swedish officials announced Saturday that they have recorded the first coronavirus case involving a mutated strain of the virus that has spread rapidly in the United Kingdom.

The Swedish Health Agency said the virus was detected after a traveler from the U.K. became ill and tested positive, Reuters reported. Officials said the person traveled to the country from Great Britain for Christmas. 

The person is isolated, and no further cases have been detected thus far, Reuters reported.

Sweden was one of several countries to impose travel restrictions amid efforts to curb the virus strain.

A study from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that the new strain is 56 percent more contagious than the original strain, but there’s no data suggesting it’s more deadly.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday that passengers from the U.K. will have to provide negative coronavirus tests no more than 72 hours before departure. The order, which was signed Friday, will go into effect on Monday.

Meanwhile, Britain on Wednesday implemented travel restrictions after it confirmed two cases of a separate variant tied to South Africa. In addition, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday that it identified what appeared to be a third new strain of the virus in Nigeria.