TOKYO — Around 70% of coronavirus patients tested at a Tokyo hospital last month carried a mutation known for reducing vaccine protection, Japanese public broadcaster NHK said on Sunday.
The E484K mutation, nicknamed “Eek” by some scientists, was found in 10 of 14 people who tested positive for the virus at Tokyo Medical and Dental University Medical Hospital in March, the report said.
For the two months through March, 12 of 36 COVID patients carried the mutation, with none of them having recently traveled abroad or reporting contact with people who had, it said.
Hospital officials were not immediately available for comment.
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Keep on reading: Troubling ‘Eek’ variant found in most Tokyo hospital COVID cases — NHK