Brazil has confirmed its first two cases of the new variant of coronavirus that was initially discovered in the United Kingdom, Sao Paulo state's health secretariat said on Monday.

One of the people infected was a 25-year-old woman from the city of Sao Paulo in contact with travelers who had been to Britain, according to a statement from the state government. The other patient was another Sao Paulo resident, a 34-year-old man who had contact with her.