“Immune Evasion” mutation found in Japan… “Possibility of reducing vaccine effect”

The National Institute of Infectious Diseases announced on the 18th that the corona19 mutant virus, which can reduce the efficacy of the vaccine, is spreading in Japan.

According to the Asahi Shimbun, etc. on the 19th, the research institute announced that a new virus with a mutation characteristic of’E484K’ was discovered in an announcement the day before, which is different from the mutant virus from Britain, South Africa, and Brazil previously identified in Japan. The mutant virus is believed to have been introduced from abroad, but it is not yet known which country it came from.

The virus appears to have already spread considerably in Japan. According to the institute, as of the 2nd, 91 cases were found in the Kanto area and 2 cases were found at the airport quarantine station. On the same day, Tokyo Medical and Dental University announced that it had confirmed three cases of the same mutation.

This mutant virus is characterized by’immune evasion’. There is a concern that the immune function may not function sufficiently even if he is cured after infection with Corona 19 or gets a vaccine. On the other hand, the research institute explained that it was found that there is no property to increase infectivity like the early mutant virus.

On the 15th, a mutant virus with’immune evasion’ characteristics was also discovered in the UK. It is not yet known whether the mutation identified this time in Japan is of this kind.

On the other hand, on the 18th, the number of corona19 confirmed in Japan on the 18th was 1537 a day, recording less than 2,000 for 12 consecutive days. On this day, 13 mutant virus infections came out, and a total of 164 mutant virus infections from the UK, South Africa, and Brazil have been confirmed in Japan so far.

Tokyo = Correspondent Lee Young-hee [email protected]