Spain confirms first case of coronavirus variant found in UK

Four cases of a coronavirus variant that emerged in the United Kingdom and is deemed to be particularly contagious, have been affirmed in Madrid, the regional government has said.

All four cases, the first detected in Spain, included people who recently arrived from the UK, the Madrid regional government’s deputy health chief Antonio Zapatero told a news conference on Saturday.

“The patients are not seriously ill, we know that this strain is more transmissible, but it does not cause more serious illness,” he said. “There is no need for alarm.”