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A new variant of the coronavirus with disturbing mutations is on the rise in New York, according to reports.
According to The New York Times.
Researchers at the California Institute of Technology identified B.1.526 after browsing this database for mutations in the virus spike protein, or the structure that allows the virus to bind and enter human cells. The researchers published their results, which have not yet been peer reviewed, in the pre-print database bioRxiv.
There are two “branches” or versions of the B.1.526 line, both with disturbing mutations. One branch has a mutation called E484K, which has also been seen in other coronavirus variants, including those identified in South Africa and Brazil. This mutation can reduce the ability of some antibodies to neutralize or inactivate the virus and can help the coronavirus to partially escape COVID-19 vaccines, Previously reported Live Science. The other branch has a mutation called S477N, which can help the virus bind to cells more tightly, the Times reported.
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Separately, researchers at Columbia University also identified the B.1.526 variant when they sequenced more than 1,100 virus samples from patients with COVID-19 in their hospital. They found that the percentage of patients infected with version B.1.526 with the E484K mutation had increased quite rapidly in recent weeks, and it now infects 12% of their patients.
“We are seeing that the detection rate of this new variant is increasing over the past few weeks. One concern is that it may start to outgrow other strains, just as the British and South African variants” have done in these country, Dr. David Ho, director of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center at Columbia University who led the Colubmia study, told CNN. However, Ho added that more research is needed to determine whether B.1.526 trumps other variants.
“Given the involvement of E484K or S477N [mutations], combined with the fact that the New York area enjoys strong permanent immunity [to earlier coronavirus strains] Spring wave is definitely the one to watch out for, ”Kristian Andersen, a virologist at the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, told The Times.
Originally posted on Live Science.
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