A coronavirus strain first detected in Los Angeles, California, appears to be spreading across the United States, although scientists are still studying the degree of transmissibility and virulence of the variant.
A team of researchers at Cedars-Sinai says the variant, called CAL.20C, was first discovered in July, before it began to circulate quickly in November and December. The results were published in a research letter from Rede JAMA on Thursday, based on 185 samples analyzed out of a total of 2,311. The team identified the variant in 36% of the 185 samples.
“Since then, the prevalence of this variant has increased in the state of California and southern California, where, on January 22, 2021, it accounted for 35% (86 of 247) and 44% (37 of 85) of all samples collected in January, respectively, “says a research letter.
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This variant was also found in 26 states, Washington DC and six countries, say the study’s authors.
“The strain is now responsible for almost half of the current cases of COVID-19 in southern California – almost double the percentage in the region compared to just a month ago, according to the Cedars-Sinai survey,” says a statement. of Cedars-Sinai.
Last month, researchers said that CAL.20C was identified in more than a third of LA COVID-19 patients.
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“CAL.20C is moving, and we think it’s the Californians who are doing it,” said Jasmine Plummer, a researcher at the Cedars-Sinai Center for Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics, associate director of Applied Genomics, Computation & Translational Core in Cedars- Sinai and co-author of the study.
The statement notes that Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) saw about 2 million passengers a month in November and December, serving as an “important gateway to the US to several foreign destinations, including Australia and New Zealand, where CAL now .20C is found. “
Dr. Eric Vail, assistant professor of pathology and director of molecular pathology in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Cedars-Sinai and co-author of the senior study, said the team is interested in the strain because it involves mutations along the peak protein , which the virus uses to infect healthy cells.
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The Cedars-Sinai team said the findings were limited due to a small set of local samples, but that the discovery is still important for surveillance of the virus.
“As this study was limited to publicly available genome databases and a comparatively small set of local samples, the possibility of collection bias cannot be ruled out. Furthermore, as the clinical results have not yet been established, the functional effect of this strain in relation to infectivity and the severity of the disease remains uncertain. However, the identification of this new strain is important for the frontline and global surveillance of this evolving virus. “