Seven variants of the COVID-19 virus have been detected in the United States and all or some of them may contain mutations similar to the qualities exhibited by an extra-contagious strain of COVID-19 that spreads in the United Kingdom, a new study has found.
The study, published Sunday on MedRxiv.org, found seven undiscovered variants of COVID-19 in U.S. patients, all of which are believed to have originated internally, according to a report in The New York Times.
The viruses also had mutations in the same part of their genes that determine how the virus enters human cells, which the researchers told the Times. This could mean that strains are more contagious in a similar way to the strain guilty of the latest increase in cases in the UK, although this hypothesis has not been proven.
“There is clearly something going on with this mutation,” said Jeremy Kamil, co-author of the study, who studies virology at Louisiana State University. “I think there is a clear signature for an evolutionary benefit.”
The United Kingdom experienced a large increase in new cases of COVID-19 in December and January, causing the country to have the highest rate of COVID-19 infections worldwide.
British authorities implemented a massive vaccination program in response and declared over the weekend that 1 in 4 adults in the UK is vaccinated.
Director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Rochelle WalenskyRochelle Walensky Walensky: ‘We can’t let our guard down’, although virus numbers are dropping on Sunday programs – Trump’s absolution in the second impeachment trial echoes the CDC’s director says vaccinated teachers are not a ‘prerequisite ‘for schools to reopen MORE said in January that the United Kingdom variant was detected in 26 states.
“Variants that have been identified recently seem to spread more easily, are more transmissible, which can lead to an increase in the number of cases and increase stress in our already taxed health care system,” said Walensky last month.