The World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday that Japan had notified him of a new variant of the coronavirus, amid concern over more infectious strains discovered in the UK and South Africa.
“Over the weekend, WHO was notified by Japan of a new variant of the virus,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of WHO, told a news conference.
“The more the virus spreads, the greater the chance of further changes in the virus. Most notably, the transmissibility of some variants of the virus appears to be increasing,” he said.
He did not provide details on whether the variant found in Japan is more infectious. Experts say new variants are not unexpected, as the virus continues to spread widely, but must be monitored carefully.
Bloomberg said Japanese officials said they did not yet know the infectivity of the new variant and that it was found in four people who arrived from Brazil.
Experts say they have not yet seen evidence that new variants cause more serious illnesses or are resistant to vaccines, but they are still studying the issue, and the rise in infectiousness poses an increasing threat to hospitals.
“This can lead to a sudden increase in cases and hospitalizations, which is highly problematic for healthcare professionals and hospitals that are already close to the breaking point,” said Tedros.
He urged people to continue to follow public health measures, such as distancing themselves from others, wearing a mask and washing their hands.
Experts point to intensifying the sequencing of the virus so that authorities can monitor the new variants and make adjustments.
“The most important thing is to sequence the virus effectively so that we know how it is changing and how to respond,” said Tedros. “For example, while diagnoses and vaccines still appear to be effective against the current virus, we may need to adjust them in the future.”