Albanian authorities have not detected any case with the new COVID-19 variant originating in the UK.
“Currently in Albania we do not have any confirmed case with the new version of Covid-19, but we must be alert to spot such cases at the right time,” Minister of Health Ogerta Manastirliu stated on Monday during a visit to a healthcare center in Tirana.
She did not provide information on how tests for the new variant were carried out.
The Institute of Public Health administering the lab for COVID-19 tests stated last month that they are not able to detect the new variant. Its deputy director, Dritan Ulqinaku said that they would send some samples to be tested in the UK but no follow-up information was provided since December.
The new variant of the coronavirus is suspected to have first appeared in Britain and has now spread to many parts of the world.
Preliminary tests have shown that it can spread more easily and can be more deadly.
