10 Times More Infectious Corona Strain Found In Malaysia

Malaysia has detected a strain of the novel Coronavirus that’s been found to be 10 times more infectious. The mutation, earlier seen in other parts of the world and called D614G, was found in at least three of the 45 cases in a cluster that started from a restaurant owner returning from India and breaching his 14-day home quarantine. The man has been sentenced to five months in prison and fined.

The same strain was also found in another cluster involving people returning from the Philippines.

The detection of this strain could mean that the existing studies on vaccines may be incomplete or ineffective against the mutation, said Malaysia Director-General of Health Noor Hisham Abdullah.

In a Facebook post, he said, “People need to be wary and take more precautions because this strain has now been found in Malaysia.”

He sought people’s cooperation so that the chain of infection could be broken from further mutation.

While Malaysia has largely managed to prevent a resurgence of the virus seen elsewhere in the world, the number of new cases found in the country has been picking up.