The lambda variant of the novel coronavirus, first identified in Peru, has been found in Japan for the first time, health ministry officials said Friday.
The variant was detected in a woman in her 30s at Haneda Airport who arrived from Peru on July 20, according to the ministry.
The virus was confirmed to be of the lambda variant in an analysis by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases.
According to the institute, the lambda variant was first detected in Peru in August last year and has been spreading in South America.
Compared with the conventional strain, the variant may be more infectious and have stronger resistance to vaccines, but its details are not known, the institute said.
Thailand is bracing for the emergence of new COVID-19 clusters as the highly infectious delta variant rips through more regions outside of its current epicenter of Bangkok metropolitan region.
The surge in new COVID-19 infections is due to the fast-spreading delta variant, which has swept across the globe. »