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JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – A senior doctor from the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) warned the public to stay vigilant against another Covid-19 variant.

The new Covid-19 variant N439K of SARS-CoV-2 was found in the UK and had been spread around the world.

In other news, Japanese sports shoemaker Asics will relocate its factory from China to Indonesia.

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Stay Vigilant Against the Spread of New Covid-19 Variant N439K: Senior Medic

Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) chairman Daeng M Faqih urged the public to remain vigilant against the spread of the latest Covid-19 variant N439K found in the UK.

“Not too long ago the government has announced the spread of Covid-19 variant B.1.1.7 and another new variant is now found again in the UK namely N439K,” Daeng said in a statement on Wednesday, March 11.

Daeng said the Covid-19 variant N439K of SARS-CoV-2, believed to be 'smarter' than the previous one, has been found in 30 countries.

“The N439K variant, which has been found in more than 30 countries, is smarter than the previous variant due to its stronger ACE2 receptor in human cells,” he said.

“It is not recognized by polyclonal antibodies formed from the immunity of people who have been infected,” he added.

Therefore, he underscored the importance of wearing masks to protect people from coronavirus transmission.

Source: https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2021/03/11/15461921/idi-minta-masyarakat-waspadai-penyebaran-varian-baru-virus-corona-n439k.