Sinn Féin MLA Colm Gildernew has expressed his concern at the discovery of the South African variant of COVID-19 in the north.
The chair of the health committee said:
“The news that the South African variant of the COVID-19 virus has been detected in the north is deeply worrying.
“The Minister for Health and the Public Health Agency must immediately and decisively put in place the tools of testing, tracing and isolating this variant if the spread is to be contained.
“The relevant agencies must do everything they can to contain this variant which has proven to be extremely potent in other areas that it has been detected in.
“This highlights the need for ongoing vigilance and the need to continue to follow the public health advice.”
