Nearly 400 infected with new coronavirus variant B.1.1.316 in Japan

Asia, Coronavirus, Health, Infection, Japan, Lockdown, Mutation, Testing, Vaccine

Nearly 400 people in Japan have been infected with a new variant of the novel coronavirus different from those found in Britain, South Africa and Brazil, Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases said Tuesday.

While differing from those discovered earlier in the three countries, the new strain found in Japan shares some commonality with those from South Africa and Brazil, the institute said. It is suspected that the commonality may cause more reinfection and that current vaccines may be less effective against it.

Kyodo News report

See also: Domestic Influx of B.1.1.316 in Japan

Image by Masashi Wakui from Pixabay

** This post was originally published on March 11, 2021 **