Japan discovers new coronavirus variant

Japan on Friday confirmed a new coronavirus variant that has infected nearly 100 people.

Reuters reported that Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters that 91 infections were documented in the Kanto area of eastern Japan and two other cases were discovered at airports.

"It may be more contagious than conventional strains, and if it continues to spread domestically, it could lead to a rapid rise in cases," Kato said.

The variant has a mutation on the spike protein that could lower the efficacy of vaccines.

The National Institute of Infectious Diseases said that the variant appears to have originated overseas, but it is different from other variants circulating in Britain, South Africa and Brazil.

Japan has over 422,000 cases of the virus and 7,360 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The country's health ministry reports Japan has reported 150 cases of the other variants first found in Britain, South Africa and Brazilian travelers.

The variants have complicated the outbreak's outlook, with speculation that the highly infectious strain first documented in the UK could become the dominant one in the US in March.

Experts have said it is now a race to get as many people vaccinated as possible to help control the spread of the variants.

(US News)