They find a new variant of the coronavirus in Rio de Janeiro: a mutation of the Manaus strain

Almost a month after discovering the disturbing variant of Manaus, responsible for the Brazilian hospital collapse since February, a new strain has been discovered in Rio de Janeiro – the second deadliest state in the country behind São Paulo.

It is a mutation of the Manaus strain that has become a new variant of the coronavirus. The variant was dubbed P.1.2 for being a mutation of P1, which emerged in the state capital of Amazonas last November.

“So far, it cannot be said that this variant, which is a mutation of P1, is either more contagious or fatal,” said Claudia Mello, undersecretary for health surveillance at the State Secretariat for health of Rio, in a statement.

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

As reported by O’Globo, he has seven new mutations compared to P.1. One of them, A262S, occurs in protein S, the part of the virus that is the target of antibodies and most vaccines against Covid-19.

Health authorities have indicated that Weeks ago, 8 samples from patients with P.1.2 had already been sequenced in the northern region of Fluminense, in Conceição de Macabu. Now they have detected that the variant has spread to other regions.

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

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