WHO Says C.1.2. COVID-19 Variant Does Not Seem to Be Spreading

A man walks past an illustration of a virus outside a regional science center in Oldham, Britain, on Aug. 3, 2020. (Phil Noble/Reuters)

GENEVA—A new coronavirus variant that was first detected in South Africa in May does not appear to be spreading, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday, adding it was monitoring the variant as the virus evolves.

“It does not appear to be increasing in circulation,” WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris told a U.N. briefing, adding the variant labeled C.1.2. was not currently classified as a “variant of concern” by the U.N. health agency.