No mutated COVID-19 found in Turkey so far: Health minister

By Trend

No signs of the mutated coronavirus strain were found in Turkey in samples collected across the country, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced on Saturday, Trend reports citing Daily Sabah.

Koca said on Twitter that the strain was absent both in samples from PCR-positive cases who recently entered Turkey from affected countries nor in other samples collected in different parts of the country.

"Our public health laboratories regularly examine samples from various regions of our country to monitor mutated and variational changes in the virus," he added.

The variations and mutations determined as part of these examinations are shared with the World Health Organization (WHO), he noted.

The new variant of COVID-19 sweeping the U.K. seems to be 70% more transmissible, forcing new lockdown measures in Britain and travel restrictions from its European neighbors.

Following the discovery of the new strain, Turkey imposed a mandatory quarantine for passengers arriving from the U.K., Denmark and South Africa even if they tested negative for COVID-19.

As the WHO urged its European members to strengthen measures against the new variant of COVID-19, more than 40 countries have suspended air traffic with the U.K.

Spain, Sweden and Canada became the latest countries on Saturday to announce finding the new strain within their borders.