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A new strain of ‘double mutant’ coronavirus believed to be behind an outbreak of cases in India has been discovered in San Francisco, marking what is believed to be the first time the variant has been detected in the United States. United.
The strain is called a “double mutant” because it carries two mutations that help the virus attach itself to cells, The San Francisco Chronicle Remarks.
The variant, like strains from the UK and Brazil, is believed to be more transmissible than the pre-existing form of the virus. It is currently unknown whether the “double mutant” strain is more resistant to vaccines available in the United States.
“This Indian variant contains two mutations in the same virus for the first time, previously seen on separate variants,” Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at the University of California at San Francisco, told The Chronicle.
“Since we know that the affected domain is the part that the virus uses to enter the body, and the California variant is already potentially more resistant to certain vaccine antibodies, there seems to be a chance that the Indian variant has it. do. that too, ”Chin-Hong added.
Chin-Hong said he was “optimistic” that the vaccines would be effective against the “double mutant” strain, given data showing that the vaccines are effective against similar strains that were first detected in South Africa. Southern and California.
Health experts have warned the United States may be heading for a fourth wave of coronavirus cases fueled by new, more infectious strains. However, other experts, such as former Food and Drug Administration commissioner Scott Gottlieb, predicted that existing immunity associated with increased vaccine administration could prevent a “true fourth wave” of cases. in the USA.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, California has administered nearly 20 million doses of coronavirus vaccines. The state is expected to open vaccine eligibility to all people over 16 as of April 15. The United States recently hit a new record by administering more than 4 million doses of coronavirus doses per day. As of Monday, 32% of the American population had received at least one dose.
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