DUBLIN — Irish health chiefs believe a new variant of COVID-19 found in neighboring Britain is present in Ireland, but not solely responsible for a rapid spread of the disease that will require restrictions beyond those announced just 24 hours ago.
The presence since at least the second week of December of the more infectious variant is based on preliminary data from a selection of samples from last weekend, the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) said in a statement.
The variant was also identified north of the open border in British-run Northern Ireland on Wednesday.
Some 30,000 people have traveled to the Republic of Ireland from Britain in the last two weeks,…
Keep on reading: COVID-19 variant present in Ireland, new curbs needed