Scientists have discovered a new, highly "expansive" coronavirus variant in South Africa. It is a variant B.1.1.529 that has an "extremely high" number of mutations.

In a note published this Thursday, scientists reveal that they are not yet sure how effective anti-Covid-19 vaccines are against this new form of the virus.

"Unfortunately, we have detected a new variant that is of concern in South Africa," said virologist Tulio de Oliveira in an online press conference.

According to the South African government, the emergence of this variant is probably the reason for the exponential increase in infections in recent weeks.

Joe Phaahla, Minister of Health, who attended the press conference, believes that South Africa, which fears a new wave of the pandemic by the end of the year, is officially the most pandemic-affected country on the continent, with more than 2.9 million cases.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday that it has already been alerted to the "occurrence of a new variant of covid-19" in South Africa and Botswana, with a "high number of mutations."

"We were alerted yesterday (Wednesday) to the occurrence of a new variant of covid-19, which WHO classifies as a variant under monitoring, B11.529, about which we need to get more information," WHO Africa Director Matshidiso Moeti indicated.