Norway and Jordan confirm new Covid variant cases

The new variant of the coronavirus circulating in Britain has been detected in Norway and Jordan, as the two countries health authorities confirmed the variant in cases which concerned people who travelled from Britain.

Norway – The Norwegian Institute of Public Health said on Sunday, that the travellers, who were not identified, arrived to Norway earlier in December and health workers were to follow up with their close contacts, it said. Norway imposed travel restrictions earlier this month on passengers from Britain amid concerns over the new variant, which is thought to be more contagious

Jordan – Jordan has detected its first two cases of the new variant of the coronavirus in travellers who recently arrived from Britain, the health minister said on Sunday.  Jordan has in recent weeks seen a sharp drop in COVID-19 cases after a three-months surge in deaths and a spike in cases that has strained its healthcare system. The kingdom last week banned flights to and from Britain until Jan. 3.

Jordan, with an estimated population of 10 million people, has 286,356 confirmed COVID-19 cases and reported 3,‮729‬ deaths linked to the pandemic since it first surfaced in March.