Japan detects new coronavirus variant / REUTERS

Japan on Sunday reported that four people who had arrived in Tokyo from Brazil were found to be infected with a new variant of the coronavirus.

The four passengers, who landed at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on January 2 from the state of Amazonas, Brazil, tested positive after spending time in the airport in quarantine, Japan's Health Ministry announced, according to Deutsche Welle.

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The institute reported that there was no evidence at present that the new strain was more contagious.

Of the four, a man in his 40s had been hospitalized after his breathing difficulties worsened, a woman in her 30s complained of a sore throat and headaches, and a male teenager developed a fever.

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