A new coronavirus variant has been discovered and genetics researchers say it carries many of the same hallmarks as other strains, including Alpha, Beta, and Gamma.
Listen to your favorite News/Talk station now on Audacy
The variant is called C.1.2 and has popped up across South Africa and in seven other countries in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific, CNN reported.
At the moment, researchers are not sure whether its constellation of mutations will make it more dangerous. Still, it has been discovered that it carries changes that have given other variants increased transmissibility and the ability to evade the immune system's response.
Related
Simply having mutations doesn't mean that it will be more dangerous. Some mutations can weaken a virus, and it's a combination of changes that affects whether a virus becomes more efficient. One extra mutation could cancel out the effects of another.
But, a team that includes virologist Penny Moore of South Africa's National Institute of Communicable Diseases says they are keeping an eye on it.
"We are currently assessing the impact of this variant on antibody neutralization following SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in South Africa," they wrote in a report posted online as a preprint.
"This variant has been detected throughout the third wave of infections in South Africa from May 2021 onwards and has been detected in seven other countries within Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. The identification of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants is commonly associated with new waves of infection."
Related
The variant has not yet been designated a variant of interest or concern by the World Health Organization. It is too soon; therefore, it does not have a Greek alphabet designation.
Maria Van Kerkhove, the technical lead on COVID-19 for WHO, noted that very few people diagnosed with coronavirus had been found to be infected with the C.1.2 variant.
"To date, there are around 100 sequences of C.1.2 reported globally, the earliest reports from May '21 from South Africa," she said on Twitter.
"To date, there are around 100 sequences of C.1.2 reported globally, the earliest reports from May '21 from South Africa," she said on Twitter.
Related
"At this time, C.1.2 does not appear to be rising in circulation," she added. Van Kerkhove also shared that WHO would update people on its website and via a news conference if circumstances were to change.
"Monitoring & assessment of variants is ongoing & critically important to understand the evolution of this virus, in fighting COVID-19 & adapting strategies as needed," she added. So far, the Delta variant is still dominant, Van Kerkhove said.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram