Tehran: Iran's Health Ministry said Tuesday it has detected the country's first known cases of the new fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus.
Health minister Saeed Namaki said the variant was found in one person who returned from the United Kingdom and is now in hospital.
The new variant was first detected in London and southeast England last month.
Namaki said the person had entered self-quarantine following his arrival in Iran.
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The ministry had not found the variant in anyone else after testing those in his immediate circle.
Iran has suffered the worst coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East, with over 1.25 million infections and 55,748 fatalities.
The country has recently tightened anti-virus restrictions, including halting flights to the U.K. over worries of the more contagious variant.
But Iran has long resisted a nationwide lockdown for fear of wrecking its economy, which has been hard-hit by U.S. sanctions.
AP
