New ‘double mutant’ COVID-19 variant identified in Bay Area, Stanford doctor explains findings

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) – There has been confirmation of the very first case of this new COVID-19 variant, found right here in the Bay Area.

A team of Stanford researchers identified the strain, which originated in India.

The Stanford doctor who heads the laboratory which has just identified this “double mutant” variant, Doctor Benjamin Pinsky, has joined the ABC7 program “Getting Answers”.

First, describe when and how your team discovered this particular strain?

“We are reviewing all positive results that come from the Stanford Clinical Virology Lab for mutations associated with variants of concern,” said Dr. Pinsky. “So we initially identified it through this process, through R2PCR, similar to what we do for standard COVID-19 diagnostics. And so far, we’ve sequenced a case and confirmed that it is. was, in fact, one of those double mutant variants, which was recently identified outside India. “

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Why is this variant called a double mutant?

“He has two somewhat well described mutations,” Dr Pinsky said. “In the virus spike protein, this includes the L452R mutation, which is found in the California variant, and then it has a mutation in another position, E484, which is found in South Africa and Brazil.”

Is it more dangerous? More transmissible?

“We don’t quite know that yet, although these mutations I mentioned have been associated with increased transmissibility,” Dr Pinsky said. “In fact, in India this new variant accounts for 15-20% of cases in a particular state.”

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Do you know if the current vaccines will be effective against this?

“I don’t think we know if the vaccines will be less effective against this variant,” Dr Pinsky said. “We have information from experiments on individual mutations suggesting that antibodies will be less able to neutralize this Indian variant.”

Despite the uncertainty about the impacts of these new variants, Dr Pinsky still urges the public to get vaccinated.

“It’s important to note that vaccines are very effective at preventing serious illness, so everyone should continue to get vaccinated as quickly as possible,” Pinsky said.

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