Alarm in Brazil: a new variant of the Manaus strain is identified in Rio de Janeiro

RIO DE JANEIRO.- The powerful Manaus strain, whose impact has led to the collapse of the Brazilian hospital since February, had a mutation and has become a new variant of the coronavirus, reported this Thursday the Secretary of State for Health of Rio de Janeiro.

This is the P.1.2 variant, as it was called, because it is a mutation of P.1, which appeared in Manaus, capital of the state of Amazonas, in November, and responsible for the second wave, which was found in Rio de Janeiro, the second state with the most deaths in the country behind São Paulo.

“So far, it cannot be said that this variant, which is a mutation of P.1, is more contagious or fatal.”said a statement from Claudia Mello, Undersecretary for Health Surveillance of the Rio State Secretariat of Health.

The new variant P.1.2 was identified in 5.85% of the 376 samples taken from 57 municipalities in Rio, including the state capital, the “wonderful city”.

The expansion of the Manaus strain at the start of the years generated a second wave of the pandemic in the largest country in Latin America, which is one of the most affected by Covid in the world, cwith around 415,000 dead and nearly 15 million infected.

The study is part of a coronavirus sequencing plan funded by all public and university laboratories in Rio.

Rio Health Secretary Alexandre Chieppe said that the study makes it possible to verify the incidence of new strains and to anticipate possible epidemiological scenarios.

After P.1 (91.49%) and P.1.2 (5.86%), the most common variants in Rio de Janeiro are B.1.1.7 (British), with 2.13% of cases, and P .2 (0.53%), the latter also occurring in this Brazilian state, according to the genetic sequences of the virus obtained from samples of 376 patients who contracted a coronavirus in 57 different municipalities between March 24 and April 16.

“The new variant It has been found mainly in the northern region of the state of Rio de Janeiro, but also in the metropolitan area and in coastal municipalities.», Said the under-secretary of the health surveillance of the secretariat, Claudia Mello.

O Globo / GDA and Télam Agency

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