Experts urge caution over 'escape mutations' found in coronavirus variants in Japan
March 9, 2021 (Mainichi Japan)
A transmission electron microscope photo of SARS-CoV-2 provided by the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is shown here.
TOKYO -- A series of coronavirus variants appearing to have an "escape mutation," which decreases the efficacy of immunity against the virus, have been found in and outside Japan.
According to Japan's National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), "a rampant spread of the mutation within the country can pose risks for controlling infections in the mid- and long term," but does not make the vaccine ineffective at the present stage. This mutation differs from a new strain of the virus from Britain, which is said to be more transmissible than the original. What kind of risks can be feared from the "escape mutation"?