New strain of ‘super mutant’ coronavirus discovered in Brazil

As revealed in the past few hours, a new variant of Covid-19 has been discovered by scientists at the Federal University of Mina Gerais (UFMG). It was possible to establish that this new strain, cataloged as “from Belo Horizonte” combines the characteristics of various strains such as Manaus (P.1), Rio de Janeiro (P.2), United Kingdom (B. 1.1) and South Africa (B1.351), all known to be more transmissible and dangerous than the original strain of Covid-19.

In the South American giant, they did not skimp on a qualifier which denotes its seriousness and that is why they called it “super mutant” since it combines the particularities of a total of 18 strains that have already undergone mutations compared to the original from China.

According to UFMG virologist Renato Santana, the new strain of Belo Horizonte “has characteristics in common with the variants that were already circulating in Brazil, but it also has new features. It is as if these variants are evolving.”

The virologist warned it was early to assess whether the new strain is more transmissible or deadly, although he noted that it had mutations in common with variants already associated with a higher risk of death, such as Manaus. or the British.

The new strain – probably referred to as P.4 – was found in two of the 85 genomes sequenced (collected in late February) in Belo Horizonte and its metropolitan area. There is no contact between those infected, so it is suspected that there may already be community circulation of the variant.