Coronavirus: Brazil has discovered a new mutation of the powerful Manaus strain

The powerful Manaus strain, responsible for the Brazilian hospital collapse since February, had a mutation and has become a new variant of the coronavirus, informed the Secretary of Health of the state of Rio de Janeiro, while the country today exceeds the 15 million infections accumulated since the start of the pandemic.

The variant was named P.1.2 because it was a mutation of P1, which appeared in Manaus, capital of the state of Amazonas, last November, and responsible for the second wave.

The variant was found in Rio de Janeiro, the second state with the most deaths in the country after São Paulo.

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“So far, it cannot be said that this variant is more contagious or fatal, which is a P1 mutation”Said a statement by Rio State Secretary of Health Under Secretary for Health Surveillance Claudia Mello.

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

The study is part of a coronavirus sequencing plan funded by all of Ro’s public and university labs.

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Rio Health Secretary Alexandre Chieppe said the study helps verify the incidence of new strains and anticipate possible epidemiological scenarios.

Brazil reached today, with 76,380 new positives, the 15,003,563 cases since March of last year, with 13,591,335 recovered, according to official figures. He also has 416,949 deaths.