Scientists at Stanford Health have uncovered a new “double mutant” COVID-19 variant in California.
The variant, which is thought to have originated in India, is not known yet to be more contagious or deadly, is a combination of two mutations from the original strain. Stanford Health believes theirs is the first confirmed case in the U.S.
This variant has the L452R mutation, which has recently caused massive outbreaks in California, but also another significant spike mutation, E484Q.
“In most cases, it is too early to say whether or how these variants will influence the course of the pandemic, but it is important to monitor their evolution and spread,” Benjamin Pinsky, M.D., Ph.D, associate professor of pathology and of infectious diseases at the Stanford School of Medicine told FOX 5.
“Our surveillance testing is specifically designed to allow large-scale screening of viral samples to identify specific strains circulating in the Bay Area and throughout California.”
As it's believed that a handful of people may have contracted this strain, Stanford researchers recently began screening hundreds of viral samples collected from people across the Bay Area, with plans to increase significantly. They additionally began sequencing whole viral genomes to identify new mutations as they arise in key viral proteins.
Dr. Rakesh Mishra, the director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, and one of the 10 research institutes sequencing the virus warns against presuming this new variant will equal to a surge in the virus, but dded that the new tweak to the virus could mean it's more transmissible.
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