A new novel coronavirus variant that has been spreading across Britain may strain Japan's medical system if it becomes more transmissible than current variants, an expert said.
How the infection spreads, however, remains the same as before, so experts advise the public to continuously practice the basic protective measures, such as wearing masks and avoiding the Three Cs of closed spaces, crowded places and close-contact settings.
When a virus infects a cell, it copies its own genetic information into the host cell and multiplies. An error during the replication process causes a spontaneous mutation, creating a mutated virus.
Virus mutations are not uncommon. The novel coronavirus mutates at a pace of about once every two weeks. The initial variant found in China last year disappeared as a mutated European variant spread around the world in the spring. While one variant can replace another, the characteristics of the majority of mutated viruses remain the same.
According to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, about 300 mutants of the European variant were confirmed in Japan during the period when infections spread in the spring, but they shared almost the same characteristics, and most of them have since disappeared.
However, the new variant found in Britain has a different structure in the spike-like proteins on its surface, which affect infectiousness. In addition, it has been spreading simultaneously with a recent surge in infections and is estimated to be up to 70% more transmissible than the original variant. There is a possibility that the appearance of the variant coincided with a recent surge in cases, leaving no conclusion on its infectiousness.
Regarding the pathogenicity of the new variant, the NIID on Friday said that "there is no data to suggest that it causes severe symptoms," but cautioned that "the majority of infection cases are seen in people under 60 who are usually at a low risk of becoming severely ill."
As the risks of the new variant remain unknown, under the current circumstances the government has no option but to closely monitor the situation to prevent more cases of the variant from entering Japan.
"If it becomes more transmissible, even if the pathogenicity is the same, the number of severely ill people will increase, straining the medical system," said Tetsuya Mizutani, a virology professor at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology.
In Britain, there have been cases reported in which infections with the new variant were not detected in specific PCR tests. The PCR tests using the methods in line with the NIID manual are said to be able to detect them.
BioNTech SE Chief Executive Officer Ugur Sahin on Tuesday showed confidence in the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine the German firm jointly developed with U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc.
"It is highly likely ... this vaccine also can deal with the new virus variants," Sahin said during a press conference.
The immunity provided by the vaccination is believed to be able to attack the novel coronavirus even after mutations. Therefore, even if a new vaccine for a variant becomes necessary, he said, "We could be able to provide a new vaccine, technically within six weeks."
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