'D614G' Coronavirus strain detected in Malaysia said to be '10 times more infectious'

Guwahati: Malaysia's Director General of Health Noor Hisham Abdullah in a Facebook post on Saturday said that a new strain of the novel coronavirus called 'D614G', deemed ten times more infectious, has been detected in the country.

As per reports, the D614G mutation has been spotted in three cases from a cluster that started when a restaurant owner and permanent resident returned to the country from India.

The D614G has also been detected in another cluster case which started with returnees from the Philippines, reports said.

As per the Malaysian Director-General of Health Abdullah, the strain could mean that existing studies on vaccines might be incomplete or ineffective against the mutation.

"So far these two clusters are controlled due to the fast-paced public health control actions on the field. This test is an early test and there are several follow-up tests in progress to test several other cases. These include index cases for both these clusters," Abdullah stated.

Abdullah said that this meant people needed to be more "aware" and "careful" in Malaysia.

The D614G mutation infects other individuals 10 times more and spreads more easily by an individual 'super spreader', he said.

Abdullah further stated that Malaysia's main action was to secure public health and asked people to practice Covid-19 norms strictly, such as practicing good self-hygiene and wearing protective clothes in public places.

As per reports, this mutation has now become the predominant variant in Europe and the US.

However, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that there there is no evidence that the strain leads to more severe disease.

According to a paper in 'Cell Press' the mutation may not have a major impact on the efficacy of vaccines that are presently being developed.

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