Another new variant of COVID-19 has been detected in the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries, according to scientists.
Variant B1525 is similar to B117 – the highly contagious strain found in the UK in mid-December, which made its way to the US, the Guardian reported.
The new variant has appeared in 10 countries so far, including Denmark, USA, Nigeria and Australia. Thirty-two cases have been reported in the UK. No new mutant cases have been reported so far in the United States.
The first sequences date from December, it is mentioned in the report.
Scientists are working to find out more about B1525, including how it spreads and what effects, if any, vaccines might have on it.
“It simply came to our notice then [new] the spread will spread, but if successful, it can be assumed that immunity to any previous vaccine or infection will be blunted, ”said Simon Clarke, an associate professor of cell microbiology at the University of Reading.
But what is worrying is that the new variant contains a number of mutations, including the E484K mutation in the spike protein, which plays a role in helping the virus enter cells.
Experts such as Ravi Gupta, a professor of clinical microbiology at the University of Cambridge, call for testing for B1525 overvoltage, saying it was found with another mutation “that probably helps him get rid of our antibodies.”
The mutation is also present in variants from South Africa and Brazil, which have been shown to be more resistant to vaccines than other strains.
One study found that strain B117, meanwhile, can be up to 70% more lethal than previous versions of the virus.
News of B1525, which is the subject of a study by the University of Edinburgh, comes after a report found at least seven new coronavirus variants circulating in the United States.