TOKYO: A new coronavirus variant was detected in 4 travelers from Brazil, Japan’s Health Ministry stated on Sunday, marking an advance in changes to the pandemic virus.
The new variant is different from those first found in Britain and South Africa, though the three of them share some common mutation, stated Takaji Wakita, head of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases.
“I perceive a new variant that’s different from Britain’s and South Africa’s has been found,” Wakita informed a health ministry briefing, characteristics of the new variant, such as how effective vaccines may be against it and how severe its symptoms may be, are being studied, a health ministry official stated.
On Sunday Tokyo reported 1,494 new cases of COVID-19, the lowest daily number since Tuesday.
To curb a surge in covid-19 infection rate, Japan declared a limited state of emergency in the capital and three neighboring prefectures on Thursday, Osaka and its surrounding prefectures have also asked the government to expand the state of emergency to contain the outbreak within the western cities.
