◀ anchor ▶
A new mutation of COVID-19 was discovered for the first time in Korea.
The ‘XL’ mutation is a combination of Omicron and Stealth Omicron.
Korea is said to be the second country in which this mutation has been found following the UK.
Reporter Lee Kang-jin will explain in detail what kind of mutation this is, and what kind of propagation power or characteristics it has.
◀ Report ▶
The ‘XL’ mutation is a combination of Omicron and Stealth Omicron.
So far, 66 cases have been reported in the UK alone, but it was also found for the first time in Korea.
The person infected with the XL mutation was a man in his 40s who was first confirmed with Corona 19 on the 23rd of last month.
I have finished my 3rd vaccination, and I have never been abroad.
The quarantine authorities found it while analyzing samples of more than 3,400 confirmed cases in the last month, and it was similar to the nucleotide sequence reported in the UK.
It is possible that it was transmitted from someone who has traveled abroad.
‘Recombinant mutation’ is a phenomenon in which two viruses mix together when infected.
Only 17 mutations have been identified, including mutations that have been released so far, such as delta, omicron, and stealth micron.
[마리아 반 커코브/세계보건기구 코로나19 기술책임자]
“It is natural for viruses to change. The more a virus spreads, the more likely it is to mutate.”
In our country, it is possible that these mutations have occurred since the end of January, when stealth Omicron began to spread along with Omicron.
However, it is the judgment of the quarantine authorities that it is not at a level of concern.
[이상원/중앙방역대책본부 역학조사분석단장]
“The World Health Organization also classifies it as a general micron, so the change in characteristics is not expected to be significant, and the impact is also expected to be limited.”
The UK Health and Safety Agency also said that many of the recombinant mutations have disappeared spontaneously.
The quarantine authorities are investigating whether regarding 80 people, including family members and contacts of the ‘XL’ mutation, are infected, but said that the new mutation will not affect the easing of quarantine.
This is Lee Kang-jin from MBC News.
Video coverage: Wooyoung Jung / Video editing: Yurim Oh
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