Q5: They detect a new variant of covid-19 in Rio …

Faced with the imminent arrival of a third wave of coronavirus in Brazil, the government of Rio de Janeiro announced this Wednesday the detection of a new variant called P5. As reported by the State Secretariat for Health, the strain was localized in the municipality of Porto Real and “So far, we can’t say it’s more deadly or transmissible” than the others that circulate in the rest of the world.

The P5, authorities said, shares the same structure as the original strain of the coronavirus but undergoes variations in the “crown”, the area that holds the virus in the cell. His identification was in charge of the Corona-Omica-RJ network, which performs genomic monitoring and in which professionals from the Fiocruz Institute, the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and the Getulio Vargas Foundation participate, among other university centers.

In São Paulo, local media published, 19 patients infected with this new variant have been detected but it was not yet possible to determine whether they were cases native to this state or originating in Rio.

“It is important that municipalities continue to move forward in the vaccination process against covid-19 and that the population receive the second dose. Only in this way is it possible to obtain the full effectiveness of the vaccine. Studies show that all vaccines available in Brazil are effective against the variants identified so far, ”the Rio de Janeiro Health Secretariat said in a statement.

“We need to follow the spread of this variant. Only then will we have an idea of ​​its infectious potential. We have to wait. The important thing now is to speed up the vaccination, ”said Amilcar Tanuri, professor of virology at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

This discovery, specifies the portfolio of health, does not cause “changes in the sanitary measures already adopted, such as the use of masks and hydroalcoholic gel, hand washing and avoiding overcrowding “.

Rio de Janeiro is one of the states hardest hit by the pandemic, with 54,500 deaths, just over 10% of what was recorded in all of Brazil, which exceeded 504,000 deaths on Tuesday. For now, the P1 variant continues to predominate there, which after emerging in the Amazon region has spread to the rest of Brazil and other countries.