Two cases of the new South African variant, dubbed the "Omicron" variant, have been identified in the UK, that country's health secretary said, according to BBC.
Those cases were linked to travel to southern Africa, and the families are isolating.
Also on Saturday a minister in Germany's Hesse state said that several cases of the variant were suspected in the area, and that a full sequencing was underway. Those cases as well were linked to travel to southern Africa.
The new variant has also been identified in Botswana, South Africa, Israel, Belgium, and Hong Kong.