
(Eagle News) — Japanese health authorities have detected a new COVID-19 variant in a traveler who came from the Philippines.
The National Institute of Infectious Diseases said in a bulletin posted on Friday, March 12, that the mutated B.1.1.28 strain, which carries the E484K and N501Y mutations, was collected from the traveler on Feb. 25.
“This variant isolate also has the P681H mutation in the spike protein as with B.1.1.7 lineage (VOC-202012/01) which is suggested to be associated with increased transmissibility,” the NIID said.
The NIID said that it did not know if the variant was the reason for the recent COVID-19 cases surge in the Philippines, or “how widely this variant strain is spreading within the Philippines.”
“Thus, NIID recommends enhanced vigilance and border health measures to be implemented for this variant,” it said.
Earlier, the Philippines’ Department of Health said it had detected 52 South African variant cases, 31 additional United Kingdom variant cases and “42 additional cases with mutations of potential clinical significance” in the Philippines.
The DOH had said of the 52 new South African variant cases, 41 were from Metro Manila.
The additional variant cases pushed the total South African variant cases to 58, UK variant cases to 118, and cases with mutations of concern to 76.