 |
| People wait in long lines for COVID-19 testing at a temporary testing center in front of Seoul Station, Wednesday. Yonhap |
Variants believed to be more infectious and resistant to vaccines
By Jun Ji-hye
The health authorities here are on alert over the new Delta plus variant of the coronavirus, as the country reported one more case of the variant, bringing the total caseload to three.
The Delta plus variant is related to the highly contagious Delta variant, already causing much concern, after it was first identified in India. The Delta variant has recently become the dominant strain in Korea, driving the fourth wave of infections here.
The authorities are also paying keen attention to the possibility of the arrival of the Lambda variant of the coronavirus, as the new variant has already been found in several Asian countries, including neighboring Japan.
The Lambda variant, first identified in Peru, is believed to be more infectious than the original strain of the coronavirus, and to have stronger resistance to vaccines, though to what extent is not known so far.
Korea's Central Disease Control Headquarters said Tuesday that a woman in her 30s who had entered Korea from the Philippines on July 31 was confirmed to be infected with the Delta plus variant.
"Her infection was confirmed while she was in a quarantine facility after her entry," Park Young-joon, head of the epidemiological investigation team of the headquarters, said during a media briefing.
Earlier this month, the headquarters announced two cases involving the Delta plus variant: a man in his 50s who entered Korea from the United States on July 23, and a man in his 40s who had no record of travel but was confirmed to have the variant on July 26.
The two men had already received their second doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine at the end of May, raising the possibility that vaccines may be less effective against the Delta plus variant in some cases.
Citing studies, India's health ministry also said in June that the Delta plus variant has an additional mutation that makes it bind more easily to lung cells, and that it is more resistant to monoclonal antibody treatment.
Authorities here are also keeping a close eye on the possible inflow of the Lambda variant, which has become the dominant strain in Peru and has been reported in about 30 countries around the world, including several Latin American nations.
Concerns over Lambda have been growing in Asia, after Japan confirmed its first case of the variant on Aug. 7.
According to the Japan's health ministry, a woman in her 30s who arrived at Tokyo's Haneda Airport from Peru on July 20 was infected with the variant.
Then on Sunday, the Philippines' health authorities said that the first case of the Lambda variant had been detected there.
 |
| A man walks along a street in an area under lockdown in Manila, Philippines, Monday, a day after the country recorded its first case of the COVID-19 Lambda variant. EPA-Yonhap |
Lee Sang-won, a senior official at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), said the Lambda variant has yet to be spread worldwide, but authorities are not ruling out the possibility that the variant could reach Korea.
"As we cannot prejudge when that will happen, preparing preemptive measures for that variant will be important," he said.
Medical experts also raised the need to discuss ways to brace for the possible arrival of the new variant.
"If the Lambda variant, details about which are limited, gets into Korea, the country's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic will become more difficult. The government should preemptively enhance its antivirus measures," said Jung Ki-suck, a professor of medicine at Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital.
According to the KDCA, the country added 1,805 more COVID-19 cases for Tuesday, including 1,767 local infections. The total caseload increased to 228,657.
The nation added five more deaths from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 2,178.
![[INTERVIEW] Choi Min-sik, Lee Dong-hwi on creating Korean-style noir with 'Big Bet'](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/8b795a8f6b42492db4e8fdc47e9abd8d.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
