▲ Corona 19 virus electron microscope image


A variant of the COVID-19 virus that reflects dozens of mutations has been discovered.



There are concerns that the new mutation may be more contagious than the delta mutation and may even incapacitate the vaccine.



The WHO has decided to hold an emergency meeting to discuss whether to designate a new variant as a major variant.



The coronavirus uses a spike protein to penetrate cells, and the new mutation has 32 mutations in the 'spike protein'.



Since the mutation was first discovered in Botswana, Africa on the 11th of last month, two more cases have been confirmed, and six more cases were found in South Africa and one case in Hong Kong.



The Hong Kong case was a man who had visited South Africa for 20 days and was confirmed while in quarantine after returning home.



South Africa's Ministry of Health officially confirmed the occurrence of the new mutation and said the new mutant virus was the background of the recent surge in confirmed cases.



As a result, the UK has temporarily suspended flights to and from Botwana, where the new mutation was confirmed, and six African countries, including South Africa.



(Photo courtesy of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Yonhap News)