Korea detects first case of Centaurus Covid subvariant

People wait in line to get tested for Covid-19 at a testing center in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on Monday. [YONHAP]

The first confirmed case of the BA.2.75 variant of Covid-19, dubbed Centaurus, was confirmed in Korea on Thursday.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the Centaurus variant was confirmed in a sample analysis of a man in his 60s living in Incheon who first developed symptoms on July 8.

The patient is currently receiving treatment at home and no additional confirmed cases have been identified.

Quarantine authorities said that they are conducting an in-depth investigation into possible routes of infection.

The BA.2.75 has eight more spike gene mutants compared to the BA.2 variant, which means that it binds to cells more effectively and evades antibodies formed by vaccines. In particular, it is more transmittable than the BA.5 variant, which is currently emerging as the dominant variant in Korea.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]