The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday that Japan had notified it of a new variant of the coronavirus, amid concerns about the most infectious strains discovered in the UK and South Africa.
“Over the weekend, the WHO received notifications from Japan about a new variant of the virus,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference.
“The more the virus spreads, the greater the possibility of new changes to the virus. The most notable is that the transmissibility of some variants of the virus appears to increase,” he said.
He did not provide details on whether the variant found in Japan is more infectious. Experts say the new variants are not unexpected, as the virus continues to spread so widely, but it should be monitored carefully.
Bloomberg reported that Japanese officials said they were still unaware of the infectivity of the new variant and that it was found in four people arriving from Brazil.
Experts say they have not yet seen evidence that the new variants cause more serious illnesses or are resistant to vaccines, but they are still studying the issue and an increase in infection is a threat to hospitals.
“This can lead to an increase in cases and hospitalizations, which is highly problematic for health workers and hospitals that are about to break down,” Tedros said.
He urged people to continue following public health measures such as distancing themselves from others, wearing a mask and washing their hands.
Experts aim to intensify virus sequencing so officials can track new variants and adjust.
“The most critical thing is that we sequence the virus effectively to know how it is changing and how to respond,” Tedros said. “For example, while diagnoses and vaccines still seem effective against the current virus, we may need to modify them in the future.”