The number of people entering Japan is limited! The mutated new coronavirus spreads rapidly in Japan

Japan has seen a rapid increase in infections from the mutated coronavirus in recent days , with confirmed cases jumping 60% in a week , complicating the government's emergency efforts to control the epidemic before the Summer Olympics.

As of last Tuesday, a total of 271 cases of the variant strain had been confirmed in Japan, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, an increase from 165 a week ago and is more contagious.

The day before yesterday, Japan detected the mutated new coronavirus discovered in the Philippines . This is the fifth mutated new coronavirus in addition to the mutated viruses in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil and other places .

In addition to the increase in the number of mutant viruses, the geographical range of Japan's new variants is also expanding . It is reported that cases have been found in 21 of Japan's 47 prefectures, up from 17 prefectures last week.

Of these, Osaka Prefecture has the highest number of cases at 62 , and the UK variant is by far the most common with 260. The UK strain is said to be 40-70% more contagious than previous strains, and one study suggests the variant is 60% more deadly.

With an average of 1,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Japan every day , the number of infections with the new variant is still small , but experts are worried that the mutant virus will spread rapidly, so all counties have started screening for the mutant virus starting this month .

In addition, Japan's National Institute of Infectious Diseases believes that the government should consider stricter border measures.

The Japanese government said it would control the spread of the virus variant by restricting overseas tourists.

In recent days, Japanese Transport Minister Kazuyoshi Akaba officially announced a plan to temporarily limit the number of arrivals to 2,000 people per day , including Japanese and foreigners who hold medium- and long-term residence permits in Japan and re-enter the country.

Currently, ANA has suspended all bookings for flights to Japan until the 21st of this month , and Japan Airlines has also suspended bookings for flights into Japan from France, the United Kingdom and Germany this month.

To prevent the spread of mutant strains, Mitsuyoshi Urashima, a professor of molecular epidemiology at Tokyo Kiei University School of Medicine, urged the government to take early preventive measures.

"There is a high probability that the mutant virus will spread in April, especially in urban areas," Urashima said. "If the number of cases increases significantly, then even measures taken will not be able to stop the epidemic. "

Japan

Mutated virus

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