UVZ: British coronavirus variant still dominant strain in Slovakia

The alpha variant of novel coronavirus, first identified in the United Kingdom, remains the dominant strain in Slovakia, according to the results of sequencing the samples positive for the novel coronavirus in May, Dasa Rackova, the spokeswoman for the Public Health Office (UVZ), told TASR on Thursday. A total of 955 samples were successfully sequenced. The alpha variant was detected in 878 cases, which is almost 92 percent of the samples examined. The beta variant, first reported in South Africa, appeared in two cases. "The delta variant, which was first recorded in India, was not confirmed in the positive samples examined in May," Slovakia's Chief Hygienist Jan Mikas said.