The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was notified by Japan of the detection of a new variant of Covid-19 there, while the government extends the declared state of emergency to control the virus in Tokyo to other areas.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday that Japanese health officials informed the UN health agency about the new strain over the weekend after it was detected in four travelers from the state of Amazonas.
The variant has 12 mutations, one of which was found in strains discovered in South Africa and the United Kingdom. The Ministry of Health of Brazil said that this implies that the variant is more transmissible.
“The more the virus spreads, the greater the chance of further changes to it”, Ghebreyesus said at a WHO meeting on Monday. “Notably, the transmissibility of some of the variants appears to be increasing. This can lead to an increase in cases and hospitalizations. “
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On Monday, Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced the declaration of a state of emergency in Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo due to the increased spread of the coronavirus and the decrease in hospital capacity in those places.
A few days earlier, he had announced measures for Tokyo and its surroundings after the capital saw an increase in Covid-19 cases of almost 500 in one day. The restrictions are expected to remain in effect until February.
In the past 24 hours, Japanese health officials reported 4,875 new Covid-19 infections and confirmed that 864 people are now seriously ill with the virus – a new record for the country.
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