S.Korea detects its first two cases of Delta Plus Covid-19 variant

A medical worker in a booth takes a nasal sample from a woman during coronavirus testing at a makeshift testing site in Seoul, on July 28, 2021. - AP

SEOUL (Reuters): South Korea has detected its first two cases of the new Delta Plus Covid-19 variant, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said on Tuesday (Aug 3), as the country battles with its fourth wave of infections nationwide.

The Delta Plus variant is a sub-lineage of the Delta variant first identified in India, and has acquired the spike protein mutation called K417N, which is also found in the Beta variant first identified in South Africa.