Two strains of a coronavirus variant first detected in California were classified as “variant[s] worrying “(VOC) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with the agency citing an estimated 20% increase in transmissibility over the wild-type strain.
The variant, dubbed B.1.427 / B.1.429 or 20C / L452R, comes in addition to three other classified VOCs already identified for the first time in South Africa, Brazil and the United Kingdom. An update on the CDC page cites preliminary research published prior to peer review by researchers affiliated with the University of California San Francisco, including Dr. Charles Chiu.
The study notes that the variant was detected in 459 of the 2,172 sampled genomes, or about 21%. The first reported case of the variant occurred in July in Los Angeles, although the sequence analysis suggests that it probably appeared in May 2020. This variant includes a single mutation called L452R, not seen in other worrying variants, among other mutations.
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Chiu accessed Twitter to share news of the new characterization, writing in part: “California’s variant B.1.427 / B.1.429 has been elevated to VOC by the CDC.”
Chiu previously explained the findings to Fox News last month, before the strain reached the VOC level.
“I’m worried, worried, but don’t panic about it,” said Chiu. “This is something that needs to be further investigated and I really think that at this point we don’t know enough to recommend any changes to the standard public health measures that we use to prevent infection.”
Public health officials say the same measures as wearing a mask, walking away, hand hygiene and immediate vaccination can help prevent infections and emerging strains. The CDC noted that the California variant inflicts “significant impact on neutralization by some, but not all, therapeutic USA” and has “moderate reduction in neutralization using convalescent and post-vaccination serums.”
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“We were able to get some evidence that this is a more infectious variant,” said Chiu, noting a two-fold increase in patients’ virus concentrations in nasal smears. “This does not necessarily prove, but it does suggest, that it may be more infectious.”
In addition, when the researchers examined 21 blood samples from recovered patients and vaccine recipients and tested how well the antibodies neutralized the variant compared to other strains, the antibodies in the blood of seven of the eight recovered patients were 6.7 times less effective in neutralizing the variant, and antibodies to six of the eleven vaccine recipients were twice as effective in neutralizing the variant.
Chiu said that these vaccine recipients received two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. Pharmaceutical companies believe that vaccines remain effective against other worrying variants, although booster doses and third doses are being tested to further increase protection.
Studies have suggested that the South African variant decreased the neutralizing power of the Pfizer vaccine by about two-thirds, while Moderna saw a six-fold reduction in neutralizing antibodies. Chiu notes that the California strain, by way of comparison, had a “moderate” effect.
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The CDC did not immediately return a request for comment. Other characterizations for mutated strains include “variant[s] of interest, “as strains identified for the first time in New York and Brazil, and in addition to VOC there is a” high consequence variant “, although no variant is in this category at the moment.
The highest level involves “clear evidence that preventive measures or medical countermeasures (MCMs) have significantly reduced effectiveness compared to variants that were previously circulating,” according to the CDC.