France discovers 19 new Covid virus mutations that current standard tests cannot detect

     Another new mutation of the Covid 19 virus is spreading in Brittany, France, where many patients show symptoms but the test results are negative.

The French Ministry of Health said in a statement on Monday night that initial analysis did not show that the new mutant virus was more contagious or more serious than other types of mutants.

However, the ministry said experiments were underway to determine the response of vaccines and antibodies to the new mutation virus.

Initially, some patients infected with the new virus tested negative after a standard test called PCR. Health authorities have stepped up surveillance amid global concerns about other mutated viruses that could overcome the vaccine, spread rapidly or worsen symptoms.

The new mutation virus was found in eight patients at a hospital in Lannion, northwest Brittany, according to the statement.