Germany records first case of Brazilian coronavirus strain

BERLIN - Germany has detected its first case of a newly discovered Brazilian coronavirus variant, feared to be particularly infectious, regional health officials in the state of Hesse said Friday.

The infected person recently returned from a trip to Brazil and lab tests on Thursday confirmed he had caught the new strain, Hessian Social Affairs Minister Kai Klose told reporters.

Experts from Germany's Robert Koch Institute (RKI) say the Brazilian mutation is similar to the South African variant, which is seen as more contagious than earlier strains. -- Agence France-Presse