A NEW variant of coronavirus is present in Wales according to the Welsh Government.

The new variant of the virus had already been confirmed to be circulating in parts of England.

The Welsh Government has confirmed that there are at least 10 confirmed cases in Wales with more expected to be identified in the near future.

Five possible cases are also being investigated.

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More than 1,000 cases have been recorded in England.

However, health secretary Matt Hancock has said that there was "nothing to suggest" it caused worse symptoms or that vaccines would no longer work on this new strain.

The Welsh Government has said that such a mutation is natural for this kind of virus.

They say that the investigation and tracing of the new strain of the virus in Wales will be fed into work taking place across the UK.

The news of the new variant comes as cases continue to rise in Wales.

Speaking to Sky News this morning, health minister Vaughan Gething said that, unless "dramatic improvements" were seen in Wales, the implementation of Level 4 restrictions was a distinct possibility following the Christmas relaxation.