TOKYO – Japan has confirmed a new variant of COVID-19, and an infection cluster has emerged at an immigration institution in Tokyo that presents new challenges as the country tries to overcome a third wave of the pandemic.
The new variant was found in 91 cases in the Kanto area in eastern Japan and in two cases at airports, Katsunobu Kato, general secretary of the cabinet, told reporters on Friday. The government is overseeing mutant varieties as they are more resistant to vaccines, which Japan began distributing this week.
“It can be more contagious than conventional strains, and if it continues to spread domestically, it could lead to a rapid increase in cases,” Kato said.
According to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, the new strain appears to be overseas, but it differs from other species found sporadically in Japan. It has the E484K mutation on the vein protein of the virus found in other variants, which can undermine the effectiveness of vaccines.
According to the Ministry of Health, Japan reported 151 cases of variants from Britain, South Africa and Brazil. The country had more than 400,000 cases of COVID-19 with 7194 deaths.
Meanwhile, five staff members and 39 foreign prisoners at an immigration agency in Tokyo tested positive for COVID-19.
According to a Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau spokesman, all 130 inmates at the plant were tested for the virus. None of the cases are serious, and all infected detainees are quarantined, among others.
The representative declined to comment on the nationality of the infected detainees, citing privacy issues.
Japan’s detention system for violators of immigration laws and asylum seekers has been widely criticized for its medical standards, prisoner monitoring and emergency response.
“Many detainees are locked up in a small, confined space,” said Motoko Yamagishi, head of a migrant rights group. “It is unfortunate that such an outbreak took place in the center.”