Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, the Director General of Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), has warned of a new variant of the coronavirus detected in the Southern African region.

The new variant is said to be more infectious than the Delta, which swept through the world months ago.

The new variant, called B.1.1.529, was reported in South Africa on Thursday, November 25 and has been confirmed in Botswana and Hong Kong.

In a tweet on Friday morning, Dr. Nsanzimana said the new variant "has multiple mutations, may be spreading faster than delta and likely to be dominant.”

He warned people about the variant by taking precautions such as getting Covid-19 vaccines, wearing facemasks, using hand sanitisers and taking tests to know their status.