A new “double mutant” strain of coronavirus believed to be behind a wave 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.
The strain is called a “double mutant” because it carries two mutations that help the virus attach to cells, the San Francisco Chronicle. notes.
The variant, like the strains in the United Kingdom 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 for the first time two mutations of the same virus, previously seen in separate variants,” Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at the University of California, San Francisco, told the Chronicle.
“Since we know that the affected area is the part that the virus uses to enter the body and that the California version is already potentially more resistant to some vaccine antibodies, there seems to be a chance that the Indian version will do so. and that, “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 were effective against similar strains that were first detected in South Africa and California.
Health experts have warned that the US could 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, have predicted that existing immunity, along with increased vaccine administration, may prevent a “true fourth wave” of cases in the United States.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, California has administered nearly 20 million doses of coronavirus vaccines. The state is scheduled to open vaccine eligibility to everyone over the age of 16 beginning April 15. The United States recently reached a new record in the administration of over 4 million doses of coronavirus in one day. As of Monday, 32% of the US population has received at least one dose.