Friday, April 9, 2021
Variant Hunters Race to Find New Strains Where Testing Lags | WIRED
Variant Hunters Race to Find New Strains Where Testing Lags | WIRED
What has shocked researchers about the variant identified in the Tanzanian travelers is that it is so distantly related to other variants of concern. It’s a member of the so-called “A lineage”—sometimes dubbed the “19 lineage” since it appeared in 2019—and is the closest known relative to the virus that first spilled into humans. “My postdoc sent me a Slack message saying, ‘WTF the A lineage??’” says Bill Hanage, an epidemiologist at Harvard University who studies viral evolution. Variants of the A lineage are still picked up from time to time, but by early 2020, most of them had been outcompeted by members of the still-reigning B lineage. The finding underlines the power of human networks in how viruses spread, Hanage adds. B-lineage variants clearly acquired mutations that made them fit to spread across the world, but what if they also got boosted by luck? It’s possible that viruses of the B lineage simply happened to take root early on in densely populated places like New York City and Italy, and from there they took over the world.
Why we need booster shots against variants to help end the pandemic
Why we need booster shots against variants to help end the pandemic
Booster shots are part of a more comprehensive strategy to blunt the impact of the mutant strains. In February, the Biden administration earmarked $200 million to escalate surveillance and pay for an early warning system that will sequence SARS-CoV-2 samples across the nation in order to better identify and track emerging variants. This effort will be coordinated by a SARS-CoV-2 Interagency Group, within the Department of Health and Human Services. The goal of the project is to monitor and characterize emerging “variants of concern,” which pose the greatest threats because they’re more contagious, deadly, or able to evade the body’s protective mechanisms.
Analysis: How worried should you be about coronavirus variants? A virologist explains his concerns | PBS NewsHour
Analysis: How worried should you be about coronavirus variants? A virologist explains his concerns | PBS NewsHour
India and California have recently detected “double mutant” variants that, although not yet classified, have gained international interest. They have one key mutation in the spike protein similar to one found in the Brazilian and South African variants, and another already found in the B.1.427 and B.1.429 California variants. As of today, no variant has been classified as of high consequence, although the concern is that this could change as new variants emerge and we learn more about the variants already circulating.
Wednesday, April 7, 2021
Covid: Brazil has more than 4,000 deaths in 24 hours for first time - BBC News
Covid: Brazil has more than 4,000 deaths in 24 hours for first time - BBC News: What is the Brazil variant?
Fiocruz says it has detected 92 variants of coronavirus in the country, including the P.1, or Brazil variant, which has become a cause for concern because it is thought to be much more contagious.
It is thought to have emerged in Amazonas state in November 2020, spreading quickly in the state capital Manaus, where it accounted for 73% of cases by January 2021, according to figures analysed by researchers in Brazil.
Monday, April 5, 2021
Thursday, March 25, 2021
New coronavirus variant, described as 'double mutant', reported in India | India | The Guardian
New coronavirus variant, described as 'double mutant', reported in India | India | The Guardian
Health officials said the new variant had not been detected in large enough numbers to link it to the surge in cases in Maharashtra and other states including Kerala and Punjab.
Epidemiologists said the term “double mutant” refers to a new variant that has the characteristics of two already identified variants.
“Double mutant is not a scientific term. It is just another mutant which seems to be unique to India,” said Ramanan Laxminarayan, founder of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy in New Delhi.
Delhi reportedly halts AstraZeneca Covid vaccine exports as cases soar
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“Is there a reason to be worried about this particular variant? Not as yet, because we have no evidence that these variants are more transmissible or more lethal than what we already have,” he added.
Wednesday, March 24, 2021
New coronavirus strain detected in India | TheHill
New coronavirus strain detected in India | TheHill
A new coronavirus strain has been detected in India, the nation's health ministry announced on Wednesday, but officials have not yet determined if the variant is contributing to a surge of cases in the country.
An analysis of samples from the Maharashtra state found that there was an increase in the percentage of samples with two specific mutations, the health ministry wrote. The mutations that showed up in approximately 15 to 20 percent of the samples tested did not match any previously catalogued variants, it noted.
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