The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday that Japan has notified it of a new variant of coronavirus, out of concern about more infectious strains discovered in the United Kingdom and South Africa.
“Last weekend, the WHO was notified by Japan of a new variant of the virus,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director general, said at a news conference.
“The more the virus spreads, the greater the chance of new changes in the virus. In particular, the transmissibility of some variants of the virus appears to be increasing,” he said.
He did not detail whether the variant found in Japan is more contagious. Experts say new variants are not unexpected as the virus continues to spread so widely, but they need to be carefully monitored.
Bloomberg reported that Japanese officials said they were not yet aware of the new variant’s contagiousness and that it was found in four people who came from Brazil.
Experts say they have not yet seen evidence that new variants cause more serious diseases or are resistant to vaccines, but they are still studying the problem and increased infection poses a greater threat to hospitals.
“This can lead to a wave of cases and hospitalizations, which is very problematic for health workers and hospitals that are near breaking point,” said Tedros.
He urged people to continue to follow public health measures, such as distancing themselves from others, wearing a mask, and washing hands.
Experts point to stepping up sequencing of the virus so officials can monitor and adapt new variants.
“Most importantly, we sequence the virus effectively so that we know how it changes and how to respond,” said Tedros. “While diagnostics and vaccines still appear to be effective against the current virus, we may need to adjust them in the future.”