This electron microscope photo provided by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases shows the coronavirus isolated at the facility. (Photo Courtesy of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases)

       TOKYO -- Two cases of the newly named coronavirus mu variant were detected at two airport quarantine stations in June and July, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare announced Sept. 1, the first time the variant's existence in Japan has been confirmed.

       The mu variant was found in a woman in her 40s arriving in Japan from the United Arab Emirates on June 26, and on July 5 in a woman in her 50s coming from the U.K. Both were symptomless.

       On Aug. 30, the World Health Organization classed the variant as one of interest and gave it the "mu" name. In response, the health ministry reviewed its collected data again. It has been asserted that the mu variant may reduce vaccine efficacy.

       The warning level on the latest variant is lower than that for the more infectious delta one. The mu variant was first discovered in January in Colombia, and instances of it have been reported in South America, Europe and elsewhere.

       (Japanese original by Takuji Nakanishi, Lifestyle and Medical News Department)

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