Filenews 19 February 2021
Japan has confirmed a new strain of the new coronavirus, while announcing that a new influx of cases has occurred at a migrant centre in Tokyo, presenting a new challenge as the country tries to stem a third wave of the COVID-19 epidemic.
The new strain has been identified in 91 cases in the Canto region of eastern Japan and in two cases at airports, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters today.
The Japanese government is increasing surveillance against variant strains of the new coronavirus as they may be more resistant to vaccines, which Japan began distributing this week.
"It may be more contagious than conventional strains and, if it continues to spread domestically, could lead to a rapid increase in cases," Mato noted, according to the RES-IPA.
Where did it come from?
The new strain appears to have originated from abroad, but is different from other types of the virus that have been detected sporadically in Japan, according to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases. This carries the E484K mutation in the virus spike protein, which has been found in other variant strains, which may undermine the effectiveness of vaccines.
Japan has recorded 151 cases of variant strains first identified in Britain, South Africa and Brazil, according to the health ministry. The country has recorded a total of more than 400,000 cases of new coronae and 7,194 deaths from COVID-19.
Influx of cases in a migrant centre
Meanwhile, five staff members and 39 foreigners detained at a migrant centre in Tokyo were diagnosed positive for the new crown.
All 130 people detained at the centre underwent a diagnostic test for the virus, according to a spokesman for Tokyo's Regional Immigration Office. None of those affected show serious symptoms and all infected prisoners remain quarantined and isolated from others.
The spokesman declined to comment on the nationality of the offended detainees, citing privacy reasons.
Japan's detention system for those who break the law and asylum seekers has been widely criticised for its medical standards, detainee supervision and response to emergencies.
"Many prisoners are locked up in small, enclosed spaces," said Motoco Yamagishi, who heads a migrant rights advocacy organization. "It is regrettable that there has been such an outbreak (of the new crown virus) in the centre," he added.
At the same time, the head of the country's COVID-19 vaccination programme said today that Japan will receive its second shipment of vaccines on Sunday.
The second shipment will consist of about 75,000 vials of the vaccine, Kano clarified, adding that the government plans to send supplies to the rest of the country in the first week of March.
Japan launched its COVID-19 vaccination program on Wednesday, giving health personnel the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
It is the last of the Group of Seven (G7) most developed industrialised countries to start vaccinations.
Source: news.in.gr
