Shizuoka Prefecture Credit Wikipedia
#15,723
Up until today Japan has only reported the more transmissible B.1.1.7 variant among quarantined travelers arriving from other countries. On Friday, they reported 7 cases, 4 of which were the B.1.1.7 variant from the UK, and 3 the 501Y.V2 variant from South Africa.
Today, however, they are reporting 3 domestic cases with no relevant travel history or contact with recent arrivals, all from Shizuoka Prefecture (see chart below).
The translated statement (below) is a bit kludgy, but we've an English Language report from the Japan Times (see Japan finds likely community spread of U.K. variant of COVID-19), that provides the gist.
Outbreak of Patients with New Coronavirus Infection (Mutant)
The National Institute for Infectious Diseases has examined patients with the new coronavirus infection (No.1 to No.3) and those with the new coronavirus infection (No.4), which are rich contacts with the new coronavirus infection, as well as those with the new coronavirus infection (No.4), which has returned to Japan from the United Kingdom, and has confirmed that there are four mutant new coronavirus infections (mutant) reported in the UK.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare will continue to work with governments, WHOs, experts, and others to prevent the spread of infectious diseases in a timely manner while closely monitoring the infectious situation in other countries.
In addition, please take care to protect your personal information so that you and your family are not identified.
Reference New SARS-CoV-2 mutant that is feared to have an increase in infectious diseases (No. 4)
https://www.niid.go.jp/niid/ja/diseases/ka/corona-virus/2019-ncov /10090-covid19-30.html
