Nurses changing their PPE on Ward 5, a Covid Red Ward, at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.
(Picture: PA)Public Health England has confirmed that a new Covid-19 variant from Antigua has been found.
It comes as four more cases of the Brazil variant were also identified.
Three of the new cases of the strain from Manaus, Brazil were traced in South Gloucestershire while the other case was found in Bradford, West Yorkshire.
The Bradford case comes after the person tested positive in late February having travelled back from Brazil through Paris on Valentines day.
A PHE statement said: “Contact tracing teams have followed up close contacts of the individual and advised them to isolate and get a test.”
This brings the number of cases of the variant, also known as P.1, detected in the UK to 10 with seven in England and three in Scotland.
But the new separate variant is believed to have derived from two people who returned from Antigua and back to the South east of England.
Despite the new strain sharing traits with other variants, it is not being categorised as concerning for now, PHE said.
