New COVID Variant with 10 Times Higher Infectivity Found in Indonesia
Previously found in Malaysia and Singapore... Very high reproduction rate
"If complacent, Indonesia's COVID-19 cases could exceed 500,000"
![[Image source=AP Yonhap News]](http://www.asiae.co.kr/news/img_view.htm?img=2020083110443553176_1598838275.jpg)
[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] A variant of the existing virus causing the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been discovered in Indonesia. This variant virus, previously found in Malaysia and Singapore, is known to be 10 times more contagious than the original virus.
On the 30th (local time), according to foreign media including Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP), the Molecular Biology Research Institute in Jakarta, Indonesia, announced that the D614G mutation variant virus was found in the genome sequence data of recently collected COVID-19 virus samples. According to the institute, this variant is more contagious than the original virus but has a lower fatality rate. The institute stated that more research is needed to confirm whether this variant virus is the cause of the recent sharp increase in confirmed cases in Indonesia.
This virus had previously been found in Indonesia's neighboring countries, Malaysia and Singapore. The World Health Organization (WHO) discovered this variant virus in February. It is known to be spreading in Europe and the Americas and is also expanding to Southeast Asian countries. It is interpreted that the spread occurred after countries eased lockdowns since June and tourists from Europe and the United States visited Southeast Asian resorts.
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On this day, the number of daily confirmed cases in Indonesia was recorded at 2,858. Recently, Indonesia's daily confirmed cases have fluctuated between 2,000 and over 3,000, far exceeding the average daily confirmed cases recorded over the past several months. According to Indonesian health authorities, the cumulative confirmed cases as of this day are 172,053, with a cumulative death toll of 7,343. The University of Indonesia has also issued a warning that if the public lowers their guard, the number of confirmed cases could reach 500,000 by the end of the year.
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