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Japan confirms a New Type of Delta Variant

By on August 31, 2021

The Tokyo Medical and Dental University has confirmed Japan’s first case of a new type of the highly infectious delta variant of the novel coronavirus, carrying a mutation similar to that of the alpha strain.

There have been eight cases of the delta sub-type reported outside Japan but its level of infectiousness is still unknown.

The university said Monday that the new type of the delta variant was detected in a patient at an affiliated hospital earlier this month. It carried the L452R mutation seen in the delta variant, as well as the N501S mutation, which resembles the N501Y mutation occurring in the alpha strain.

The patient who had no record of travels abroad, contracted COVID-19 through community transmission. The university believes the N501S mutation has highly likely occurred in Japan.

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