Two people who were tested positive for the new coronavirus at the airport quarantine station until July were the "Mu strain" of the mutant virus designated by the World Health Organization as a "notable mutant strain". I found out that I was infected with.
This is the first time it has been confirmed in Japan.
The mutant virus "mu strain" has been reported in South America and Europe, and on the 30th of last month, WHO ranked it as a "VOI = notable mutant strain" that may affect the effectiveness and infectivity of vaccines.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare retroactively examined the results of genetic analysis on specimens collected by quarantine tests.
▽
A woman in her 40s who arrived at Narita Airport from UAE = United Arab Emirates on June 26.
It was discovered that
two women in their 50s who arrived at Haneda Airport from the United Kingdom on May 5
were infected with the Mu strain.
This is the first time that an infection with a mu strain has been found in Japan, and Takaji Wakita, director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, said, "Various mutant viruses will appear, but be careful if there is a situation where the conventional virus is pushed away and spreads. It is necessary, and we need to collect information. "
According to the WHO, the mu strain may affect the effectiveness of the vaccine, and infections have been reported in more than 30 countries since it was first confirmed in Colombia in January.