TOKYO | The health ministry of Japan confirmed the country’s first case of infection with new variant of Covid identified in Britain with a man in his 60s developing fatigue. He was among the five people who arrived between December 18 and December 21 before the border of the country were stepped up from Britain.
Health Minister Norihisa Tamura said the five were sent to quarantine straight from the airports.
After they tested positive for the virus, further analysis conducted at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases determined they had the British variant that is 70 per cent more transmissible, the ministry said in a statement.
Shigeru Omi, head of a government taskforce, called for tighter border control to prevent new variants.
