The first imported case of the COVID-19 sub-variant dubbed “Delta plus” has been recorded in Taiwan, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced Friday.
AY.4.2, which is a mutation of the Delta variant, was discovered in April 2020 through gene sequencing and was believed to have triggered an increase in the COVID-19 cases in the United Kingdom.
CECC Emergency Response Group Deputy Division Director Lo Yi-chun (???) said at Friday’s press briefing the imported case involved a male U.K. citizen who arrived in Taiwan from the U.K. on Oct. 22.
The man, who is in his 50s, checked in at a government-run quarantine center and was immediately tested upon arrival, per Taiwanese regulations pertaining to the U.K.’s status as a “high risk” country, Lo said.
The test results came back positive with a cycle threshold (CT) value of 19, indicating a high viral load, with the virus later determined via gene sequencing to be AY.4.2, Lo said.
The man had received two shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine before coming to Taiwan.
Displaying atypical presentation, the man is currently isolated at a hospital and poses no threat to local communities, he added.
According to Lo, there have been 42 countries around the world where the AY.4.2 variant has been detected. The strain has mainly been found in the U.K., as well as other European countries, the United States, Canada, and Australia.
In Asia, Israel and Thailand have both reported their first AY.4.2 cases, Lo said.
Currently the world still has little knowledge of the virus strain, except that it is 10 percent more transmissible than the original Delta variant, according to Lo.
More research has to be done to know what AY.4.2’s global impact will be and whether existing vaccines will provide protection against the strain, Lo said.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel