New COVID variant: What is variant R.1? Is it dangerous?

Experts have discovered a new variant of the coronavirus at a Kentucky nursing home, and it appears to be a unique variant worth watching.

What is the R.1 variant?

According to Forbes, the new variant – named R.1 – is linked to the original coronavirus strain. It was originally discovered in Japan and has infected more than 10,000 people worldwide, according to recent data.

• The variant was discovered in a Kentucky nursing home, and many patients have been fully immunized.
• The variant has a mutation that can lead to “increased resistance to antibodies in convalescent sera and to neutralizing monoclonal antibodies,” according to Forbes. This means that the variant could escape the blood of former COVID-19 survivors and the antibodies in those who are vaccinated and those who have been infected with the novel coronavirus.

Should we be worried about the R.1 variant?

Experts recommend keeping an eye out for this variant as it spreads to the United States and Japan.

• “R.1 is a variant to watch out for,” according to Forbes. “He gained a foothold in Japan and the United States. In addition to several mutations, notably in the spike and core protein in common with the variants of concern, R.1 possesses a set of unique mutations which may confer an additional advantage in transmission, replication and immune suppression.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first discovered the variant in Kentucky in April. However, the CDC study said vaccinated residents were 87% less likely to have symptomatic cases of COVID-19 thanks to the variant compared to unvaccinated people.

Variant R.1 is not on the CDC’s list of variants of concern or interest.

What about A.23.1 COVID variant?

Earlier in September, details of the A.23.1 variant were published in the medical journal Nature. The variant – which was not considered a variant of concern or of interest by the World Health Organization – has a mutation that shows it to be of a different origin compared to the alpha, beta, gamma, delta variants. and mu COVID-19, as I wrote for the Deseret News.