Two California coronavirus variants are about 20% more infectious than the original virus and have a reduced response to the vaccine, according to a recent study.
The new findings are from the researchers at UCSF, UC Berkeley and the California Department of Public Health.
The variants have been the dominant source of infections in the state since late January.
According to reporting from the San Francisco Chronicle, the variants appear to be more transmissible, and less susceptible to antibodies produced by previous infection or by the vaccine.
The study’s results were published in the journal Cell, and the Chronicle reports that the results were previously released from UCSF and the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub.
The California variants are known as B.1.427 and B.1.429, and they are described as one strain because they are very similar and share at least one key mutation.