A new COVID-19 variant has been discovered in Botswana, a government official said.
The new variant, which has characteristics of both the Alpha and Delta variants, has yet to be named. Four people in Botswana were found to be infected with the new variant, while 68 people in South Africa were found to be infected as well, said Thebeyame Macheke, the public health physician in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, during a COVID-19 update live on national television Thursday.
He stated that they are still testing and researching the new variant, suggesting that the country should be prepared if the variant causes the fifth wave.
Botswana has had 305,718 COVID-19 confirmed cases to date, with 2,688 deaths and a recovery rate of 99.1 percent. Enditem
