The first cases of the more infectious form of Covid-19 that were first identified in the United Kingdom were confirmed by South Korea.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said the cases were confirmed on Monday in a family of three individuals who arrived in South Korea on 22 December.

They landed to guard against the new strain of the virus the day before South Korea prevented air travel from Britain until December 31.

The three persons living in the United Kingdom are in South Korea under quarantine.

On Monday, South Korea reported 808 new cases of coronavirus, bringing its national caseload to 57,680 with 819 deaths. It is the second day in a row that the regular count for South Korea has been below 1000.

On Christmas Day, the country reported 1241 cases, South Korea's biggest daily leap since the pandemic started, and 1132 on Saturday.

South Korea has been dealing with a sudden increase in infections linked to hospitals, nursing homes, churches, prisons, family gatherings, and numerous other locations in recent weeks. On Sunday, the government said it would spend another week before deciding if implementing its toughest physical distance rules in the greater Seoul region would further harm the economy because officials are worried.

The epidemic of virus

The EU has initiated a major vaccine roll-out aimed at projecting a clear message that the vaccine is secure and that the pandemic and the economic destruction of lockdowns are the best chances for Europe to emerge.

South Africa has become the latest nation to cross 1 million confirmed cases and is likely to resort to further restrictions on viruses.

In the US, unemployment insurance nearly expired for millions as President Donald Trump waited until the last minute, despite urging lawmakers on both sides, to sign an end-of-year Covid-19 relief and spending bill.

The top infectious disease expert in America predicts that the general US population will be widely immunized by late March or early April.

For many poorer countries, where conflict and uncertainty are presenting immense challenges to vaccination plans, the outlook is far bleaker.