S.Africa rejects claim its COVID strain is more dangerous than UK's

South Africa's health minister has rejected his British counterpart's claim that a new coronavirus variant in the country is more contagious or dangerous than a similar one in spreading the UK.

"At present, there is no evidence that the 501.V2 (variant) is more transmissible than the United Kingdom variant -- as suggested by the British Health Secretary," Zwelini Mkhize said in a statement published late Thursday.

"There is also no evidence that (it) causes more severe disease or increased mortality than the UK variant or any variant that has been sequenced around the world".

Announcing restrictions on travel from South Africa Wednesday, Britain's Matt Hancock had said that the variant there was "highly concerning, because it is yet more transmissible, and it appears to have mutated further" than the similar strain in Britain.

The British minister's words "have created a perception that the variant in SA has been a major factor in the second wave in UK," Mkhize said.

"This is not correct."

[attach id=1006667 size="large" align="left" type="image"]The UK's Matt Hancock claimed the South African virus varient was "more transmissible" than the UK mutation. Photo: AFP[/attach]

He...