Following variants identified in the UK and South Africa, Japanese officials have confirmed a new SARS-CoV-2 strain in four travelers arriving from Brazil's Amazonas state.
The Japanese Ministry of Health announced the isolation of this variant after testing four individuals—nationalities undisclosed—who arrived at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. All tested positive during mandatory quarantine.
Three of the four showed symptoms: a man in his 40s was hospitalized for breathing difficulties (per Bloomberg), a woman in her 30s reported headaches and sore throat, and a teenager had a fever.
Authorities classify it under lineage B.1.1.248, featuring a dozen mutations, including one shared with the UK and South African variants that raises transmission concerns.
Takaji Wakita, director of Japan's National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), cautioned that it's too early to assess increased contagiousness or symptom severity. Ongoing research aims to clarify these points.
Current vaccines' performance against this strain remains unknown, with studies in progress.
Reassuringly, preliminary data from Pfizer scientists and the University of Texas Medical Branch indicate the Pfizer vaccine retains effectiveness against UK and South African variants.
The team analyzed blood from vaccinated individuals against virus strains with the N501Y mutation common to those variants. Antibodies neutralized them as effectively as original strains.
Similar results held for other mutations in those variants, though the South African E484K mutation awaits testing. These findings are promising, but further validation is essential.
