The World Health Organisation (WHO) is convening an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the potentially rapidly spreading COVID strain found in South Africa and Botswana, the Financial Times reported, citing sources.

Earlier, the Daily Mail reported that scientists from the United Kingdom had warned of the appearance of a coronavirus strain, which contains 32 mutations, in Botswana.

Many of the mutations indicate its high transmissibility and resistance to vaccines, the strain has more changes in the spike protein than all other COVID-19 variants.

The South African National Institute of Infectious Diseases later also confirmed that the new strain had been found in South Africa, with 22 cases to date.   -- ANI/Sputnik