The health ministry of Japan has detected the country’s first outbreak of the new strain of the novel coronavirus, Trend reports citing TASS.
The virus was detected in the eastern prefecture of Saitama, in three citizens who, at their workplace, had contacts with a man infected with the new strain of the virus. All of them are now under medical supervision.
In total, 64 cases of the new strain have been detected in the country so far.
From December 28 and until February 7, the Japanese authorities stopped issuing new visas to citizens of all foreign states following the discovery of the new virus. Currenly, only Japanese citizens and foreigners with long-term visas, who are permanently residing in the country, are allowed to enter its territory.
The United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, said on December 14, 2020 that British scientists had identified a new coronavirus strain that might be to blame for high infection rates in southeastern England. Hancock said preliminary analysis indicated that the newly-discovered virus strain was spreading faster than any of those exposed previously. Prime Minister Boris Johnson told an urgent news conference on December 19 that according to the current findings the new strain might be 70% more contagious. He added that British experts had not yet found any proof that the virus mutation was fraught with a greater risk of lethal outcome.