Southeast Asia Detects Mutated Virus Strain Sweeping the World
- Virus mutation detected in cases in Malaysia and Philippines
- The strain is the predominant variant in Europe and the U.S.
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Southeast Asia is facing a strain of the new coronavirus that the Philippines, which faces the region’s largest outbreak, is studying to see whether the mutation makes it more infectious.
The strain, earlier seen in other parts of the world and called D614G, was found in a Malaysian cluster of 45 cases that started from someone who returned from India and breached his 14-day home quarantine. The Philippines detected the strain among random Covid-19 samples in the largest city of its capital region.