Another mutation of the coronavirus was discovered - this time among travelers in Japan.
A researcher is alarmed about the variants and speaks of a "wake-up call".
In addition to the well-known
corona virus
,
mutations of
the pathogen
are also spreading worldwide
.
A new
virus variant
has now
been detected
in
Japan
.
Four people who entered from
Brazil
carried the
mutated virus
.
Tokyo - Not just a single mutation of the coronavirus * is currently causing concern.
In addition to
virus variations
that were discovered in
South Africa
and
Great Britain
,
a new variant
has now apparently also been found in
Japan
.
This
coronavirus
* variant
is not identical to the pathogen variants previously detected in Great Britain and South Africa, said
Takaji Wakita, head of the Japanese health authority
.
The
mutation
had been proven
in four people who traveled to Japan from Brazil.
Coronavirus mutation in Japan: Affected people landed at the airport in Tokyo - man with acute breathing problems
It is also known so far that the
four people affected
landed
in
Tokyo
on January 2
.
They came from the
Amazon in Brazil
.
The Japanese Ministry of Health announced
that they were immediately
quarantined
at Haneda Airport
.
A man over 40 years old is now in the hospital after
developing
acute breathing problems
.
Two other passengers would have
symptoms such as sore throats, headaches
and
fever
.
A teenage person did not develop any symptoms.
It
is not unusual for
changes in the genetic makeup of viruses to
occur.
Some
mutations
give the pathogen advantages - for example, by making it easier to transmit.
In December, a variant of the coronavirus (B.1.1.7) in Great Britain * and a similar one (501Y.V2) in South Africa were detected.
According to initial analyzes, the
new mutations
could be more
contagious than the known coronavirus *.
Corona mutation detected in Japan: Researcher calls for comprehensive monitoring of the pathogen
For many experts, the change in the virus is an
alarming development
.
The monitoring of the pathogen must be expanded, according to science.
The
variants
are to be seen as a “wake-up call”, said
Andreas Bergthaler from the CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of
the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
And yes, the number of virus sequencing in Austria is being further increased in order to have even more precise and timely information on the circulating SARS-CoV-2 virus variants and mutations.
8 / n
- Andreas Bergthaler (@abergthaler) January 4, 2021
As
Zeit Online
reports, Bergthaler advocates expanding and coordinating detection systems.
"We must
not think
that we are
in the wrong confidence
that we have already reached the end of the marathon with the vaccines *," said Bergthaler.
(
nema
) (* Merkur.de is part of the Ippen-Digital network)
You can also read all information about the current Corona situation in Germany in the current ticker.
List of rubric lists: © Eugene Hoshiko / dpa / AP