NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – A new strain of the coronavirus in the United States is a mutated and likely more contagious version of the one that appeared in China last year, according to a new study.
LISTEN LIVE: 1010 WINS' 24/7 coverage of the coronavirus outbreak
This strain first hit Europe before it spread to the United States and other places. It is now the dominant form of the virus spreading around the world, according to the study published in BioRxiv.
The mutation is on the coronavirus’ “spike” protein, which the virus uses to enter its host.
“To date we have identified fourteen mutations in Spike that are accumulating,” the researchers wrote. “The mutation Spike D614G is of urgent concern; it began spreading in Europe in early February, and when introduced to new regions it rapidly becomes the dominant form.”
The researchers warned that future vaccines could prove ineffective against the virus if the “pandemic fails to wane” in future months. They wrote that such a scenario could “ultimately limit the effectiveness of the first vaccines.”