Africa CDC: New virus variant appears to emerge in Nigeria

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Africa’s top public health official says another new variant of the coronavirus appears to have emerged in Nigeria, but further investigation is needed.

The discovery could add to new alarm in the pandemic after similar variants were announced in recent days in Britain and South Africa and sparked the swift return of travel restrictions.

The head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says this lineage is separate. Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country.

The variant in South Africa now makes up most of the country’s rapidly rising cases. South Africa’s health minister notes an “alarming rate of spread.”