Malaysia has detected a strain of the new coronavirus that's been found to be 10 times more infectious. A new strain of the novel coronavirus called 'D614G', deemed ten times more infectious, has been detected in Malaysia, said Director General of Health Noor Hisham Abdullah in a Facebook post on Saturday.
According to reports, D614G was found in at least three of the 45 cases in a cluster that started from a restaurant owner returning from India and breaching his 14-day home quarantine.
Mutation spotted in 3 cases from a cluster
The mutation has been spotted in three cases from a cluster which started when a restaurant owner and permanent resident returned to the country from India. It has also been detected in another cluster case which started with returnees from the Philippines.
Abdullah said that the strain could mean that existing studies on vaccines might be incomplete or ineffective against the mutation. "So far these two clusters are controlled due to the fast-paced public health control actions on the field. This test is an early test. There are several follow-up tests in progress for many other cases. These include index cases for both these clusters," Abdullah said.
Abdullah said that this meant people needed to be more aware and careful in the country. The mutation infects other individuals 10 times more and spreads more easily by an individual 'super spreader', he said.
He said that Malaysia's main action was to secure public health and asked people to practice Covid-19 norms strictly, such as practising good self-hygiene and wearing protecting oneself in public places.
Mutation has now become predominant variant in Europe, US
This mutation has now become the predominant variant in Europe and the US. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that there there is no evidence that the strain leads to more severe disease. According to a paper in 'Cell Press,' the mutation may not have a major impact on the efficacy of vaccines which are presently being developed.
The novel coronavirus pandemic began with a breakout in the Wuhan city of China in January. Possible origination theories say it could have spread through the Wuhan's wet market, or through the endangered and widely trafficked Pangolins, among other ways. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January, and a pandemic on 11 March.
