UK coronavirus variant found in more than 73% of the test samples in Bulgaria

For the first week of March 2021, 413 samples of SARS-CoV-2 (the new pandemic coronavirus) from patients in the country were successfully cellogenomically sequenced on a new generation device at the National Center for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases and Germany.

All mutations of the UK variant - B.1.1.7, South African variant - B.1.351, Brazilian - P.1, Nigerian - B.1.525, etc. were searched.

In 303 of the samples, the UK variant of genetic line B.1.1.7 was proved.

Other of the sought mutations of variants have not been proven. The UK variant has been proven in the districts of Blagoevgrad, Bourgas, Varna, Veliko Turnovo, Gabrovo, Dobrich, Kyustendil, Montana, Pazardzhik, Plovdiv, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofia, Haskovo, Yambol.

Average for the country, the UK variant was seen in 73.37% of the positive cases. As regards the samples in recent weeks, its frequency is increasing, especially for the districts of Sofia, Bourgas, Kyustendil, Pazardzhik, Sliven.