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But what that means for the pandemic remains to be determined.
Try whatever it can, Japan cannot bring the coronavirus pandemic under control. Although the country’s immunization campaign has recently resumed – with 46.5 percent of the population being doubly vaccinated at the time of this writing – the the number of cases has increased rapidly in the past month.
This appears to be due in part to the highly contagious Delta variant which has spread across the world. Japan has also struggled with this variant, but it is now being developed its own mutation of the Delta variant, which was confirmed by researchers this week.
New Variant N501S was discovered in patients at Tokyo Medical and Dental University when a research team examined the Delta variant genes that the patients had contracted. Based on its genetic makeup, the team believe it is very likely that the variant developed domestically and was not imported from overseas.
As the N501S mutation is still quite new, it is not yet clear how contagious it is or how severely it affects patients. Hiroaki Takeuchi, assistant professor at Tokyo Medical and Dental University, stressed the importance of expanding observation of the virus’ mutation patterns. Without studying how the virus mutates, it will be difficult to continue treating, preventing and curing it.
He also added: “As long as the virus continues to spread in the country, there is always a risk that the virus will create mutations, so it is important to stop the spread of the virus as best as we can.” Prevention remains more important than ever.
With just about everything open and major events returning, things almost feel like they’ve returned to normal in Tokyo, but it’s important to note that there is still a high risk of infection and that the caution is always in order. According to The Japan Times, the Delta variant is believed to be the dominant strain in Japan at the present time, which means there is a higher chance of getting infected and getting seriously ill.
Some places are even starting to shut down again, so getting vaccinated, continuing to wear a mask, washing hands and avoiding enclosed and crowded places is imperative if we are to protect people from this deadly virus.
Source: Chuo Nippou via Yahoo! News via My Game News Flash, The Japan Times
Top image: Pakutaso
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