New variant of coronavirus detected in Portugal's Madeira island

LISBON, Dec 27 (Reuters) - The new variant of the coronavirus linked to a rapid rise in infections in Britain has been detected on the Portuguese island of Madeira, the regional civil protection authority said on Sunday.

In a statement, the authority said the new variant was "detected in travellers who arrived in Madeira from the United Kingdom" but it did not specify how many people were infected with it. (Reporting by Catarina Demony; editing by Jason Neely)