Jan 31 (NHK) - Health officials in Japan say they believe the first cluster of infections of a coronavirus variant which has been prevalent in Britain has hit near Tokyo.
The new strain is believed to be more contagious than the original.
The health ministry says four people in Saitama Prefecture, ranging from their 40s to the 60s, have been confirmed to be infected with the variant.
Three of them have connections with the workplace of a man living in Tokyo and other people who had been determined to be infected with the variant earlier.
The ministry believes a cluster of the variant has occurred at the workplace. Seven people there were found to have contracted the same strain.
Meanwhile, another case of the new strain has been confirmed in Tokyo involving a man in his 50s. He has not been to Britain but had close contact with a woman in her 50s who had earlier tested positive for the variant.
So far, 15 people who have no recent history of traveling to Britain and no known contact with people who traveled from the country have been infected with the variant.
Health ministry officials say they don't believe the variant has spread broadly in the country, but will still closely monitor the situation.
Source: ANNnewsCH
