New COVID-19 variant in New York ‘definitely worth watching’



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Researchers studying COVID-19 and its variants across the United States have expressed concern about a mutation discovered in New York City that could decrease the effectiveness of vaccines against the virus.

The New York Times reported that researchers at Caltech and Columbia University studied the mutation, called B.1.526. A scientist told the newspaper that he was more concerned with the New York variant than the California variant.

The report says the researchers found that the E484K and S477N mutations were present in more than a quarter of the study samples.

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The E484K mutation has been called the “escape mutation” because it could help COVID-19 escape a human immune response, and the S477N mutation creates spike proteins that affect how it attaches to cells.

The paper pointed out that the study was not peer reviewed.

Kristian Andersen, virologist at the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, said: “Given the involvement of E484K or S477N, combined with the fact that the New York area has permanent immunity to the spring wave, it is definitely one of the look. “

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