Alert in Brazil for changes in the new varia …

Brazilian scientists have warned that there may already be mutations in the new coronavirus variants circulating in the country, which has become the global epicenter of the pandemic and a threat to the whole world. In recent days, the state of São Paulo, the most affected state, declared a red phase of social isolation and a curfew.

An article published on Monday collects the results of a study carried out by specialists from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FioCruz), considered the largest scientific research center in Latin America, and claims that detected “disturbing mutations” in five of Brazil’s 27 states: Amazonas, Bahia, Maranhao, Paraná and Rondonia.

“Continued and widespread transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Brazil generates new viral lines which may be more resistant to neutralization” than previous variantssays the report prepared by experts from FioCruz, which is based in Rio de Janeiro.

The article was published on the MedRxiv portal, which specializes in medical information and clinical research, so that the data can be reviewed by scientists around the world.

The study argues that the coronavirus could “evolve towards the generation of new variants” which would be more transmissible and therefore more dangerous than the previous ones. “We may be faced with a natural process of evolution and adaptation (of the virus) to the scenario of an increase in the number of people with antibodies”, points to the text.

The pandemic in Brazil has worsened in recent weeks with a sharp increase in the number of deaths and infections, which has been attributed in part to the virulence of a new variant of covid-19 that emerged in the Amazon, known as P.1 and considered three times more infectious than the original.

The situation forced Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to change Health Minister General Eduardo Pazuello, who was replaced by cardiologist Marcelo Queiroga. Yet the president continues his harangues of denial in front of his supporters, as he has done throughout the pandemic.

According to the latest official data, released on Monday, In the last 24 hours, 1,383 deaths and 49,293 new cases have been recorded in the country, bringing the total number of deaths to 295,425, with more than 12 million infections.