"Transmission Among Guests"... Hong Kong Quarantine System Expected to Strengthen
'Nu' Variant Has Twice the Number of Mutations as Delta
A secondary infection of the COVID-19 variant 'Nu (B.1.1.529)' from Botswana, Africa, has occurred in Hong Kong. [Image source=Getty Images]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seohyun] It has been confirmed that a COVID-19 'Nu' (Nu·B.1.1.529) variant infected individual who entered Hong Kong from South Africa caused a secondary infection in Hong Kong.
According to Bloomberg News on the 25th (local time), it was confirmed that there were actually two Nu variant infected individuals in Hong Kong, not just one as previously thought. The initially confirmed case was a traveler who entered Hong Kong from South Africa, and the other case, revealed later, was a guest quarantining in the hotel room opposite to that traveler. The Washington Post reported that this person entered from Canada.
Hong Kong health authorities announced late that night that despite no direct contact between the primary and secondary infected individuals, secondary infection occurred, suggesting the possibility of airborne transmission.
Additionally, 12 people who stayed in three rooms near the two infected men from the 11th to the 14th were transferred to quarantine facilities in other areas and ordered to undergo mandatory quarantine for 14 days. Hong Kong health authorities stated that, so far, there are no other patients infected with the Nu variant besides these two.
Hong Kong had been one of the few countries worldwide where the Delta variant had not yet appeared, but now the Nu variant has emerged.
Bloomberg News noted that Hong Kong has one of the strictest quarantine systems in the world, requiring up to 21 days of quarantine upon entry, and it is expected that Hong Kong’s quarantine system will be further strengthened due to the emergence of the Nu variant.
According to the British public broadcaster BBC on the same day, the Nu variant, first discovered last month in Botswana, has currently been identified in South Africa (77 cases), Botswana (4 cases), and Hong Kong (2 cases). The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Africa surged more than 20 times from around 100 cases on the 8th to about 2,400 cases in one day.
The Nu variant is known to have a spike protein dramatically different from the existing coronavirus on which current COVID-19 vaccines are based, and the number of mutations is said to be twice that of the Delta variant.
Professor Tulio de Oliveira, a geneticist at Nelson Mandela School of Medicine in South Africa, said, "The immune escape and infectivity of the Nu variant are very concerning. The new variant has many mutations and is spreading very rapidly."
He added, "This variant has overwhelmed the Delta variant in South Africa in less than two weeks. The pressure on the healthcare system will increase in the coming weeks. South Africa and Africa will need financial, public health, and scientific support," he expressed concern.
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