France Finds Hard-To-Detect Covid Variant In Brittany

SAINT-BRIEUC, France (AFP) - French authorities are investigating a new coronavirus variant found in the western Brittany region that is more difficult for tests to detect, though for now it does not appear to be more dangerous or contagious.

Stephane Mulliez, director of the regional ARS health service, said at a press conference Tuesday that a hospital biologist in Lannion, a city on the English Channel, sounded the alert after studying dozens of recent deaths.

Seven of the victims had shown classic coronavirus symptoms despite having negative PCR tests, which analyze nasal swabs and are usually highly accurate.

Further testing, of blood as well as mucus samples from deeper in the respiratory tract, confirmed the COVID diagnosis in the patients, who were all elderly and had underlying health risks, Mulliez said.