Okinawa Prefecture announced on the 11th that it was confirmed that eight people living in the prefecture were infected with the mutated coronavirus.
This is the first confirmation of a mutant virus infection in Okinawa Prefecture.
According to Okinawa Prefecture, a mutant virus was confirmed in eight specimens as a result of "genome analysis" to examine genetic information of new coronavirus specimens extracted from infected persons in the prefecture at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases. That is.
In two of these samples, a mutation called "N501Y", which has been pointed out to be more susceptible to infection, was confirmed, and one of these samples was a mutant virus that spread in the United Kingdom. is.
This one is believed to have been brought in from outside the prefecture, as he has not moved outside the prefecture and has become a close contact with infected people who returned home from outside the prefecture in January.
In addition, in the remaining 6 samples, a mutation called "E484K", which has been pointed out to have the potential to reduce the effects of immunity and vaccines compared to conventional viruses, was confirmed, and all of them traveled overseas or outside the prefecture. There is no move to.
This is the first time that infection with a mutant virus has been confirmed in Okinawa Prefecture.