01/17/2021 17:16
Clarín.com
World
Updated 01/17/2021 5:16 PM
At least two new variants of the coronavirus have been identified in the
United States
, and it is possible that other forms of mutation could be found in the coming weeks, local experts reported.
Two independent research groups released a series of findings this weekend that confirm what many scientists have long suspected: The
United States has its own
unique
Covid-19 viral variants
, which are distinct from the variants detected in Great Britain. Britain and South Africa, which experts worry about their high contagion capacity.
Days ago, researchers at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center announced two newly identified distinct variants.
It was later joined by researchers at Southern Illinois University, who said they found a variant that may have emerged months ago and
spread rapidly across the country.
Experts say that for now the vaccines against Covid-19 are effective against the new variants.
Photo: REUTERS
The variant is likely the same or similar to one of the variants identified by the Ohio researchers.
Still, while viruses constantly mutate, these mutations are not inherently dangerous, the experts cautioned.
More variants
More scientific experiments will be needed to show whether the newly identified US variants are more transmissible, more deadly, or could affect the vaccine.
And the researchers predicted that
even more variants could be identified in the coming weeks
as more scientists start looking for them.
"This should be a wake-up call that we're not doing enough genomic surveillance," warned Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist and research associate at the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University School of Public Health.
"We're going to see a lot of these articles get published," said Rasmussen, who was not involved in any of the studies.
"It remains to be seen whether the variants are associated with higher transmissibility or not," he said.
Since the emergence of new variants around the world, there are fears that they will cause more serious illness and death, are more communicable and render vaccines ineffective.
But for now, experts clarify that
there is no evidence that vaccines do not protect against the new strains.
The first variants that caused concern were identified in the United Kingdom and later in South Africa, which are believed to be
more communicable but not more deadly.
Researchers at the University of Southern Illinois are calling this American variant 20C-US.
Its origin dates back to a sample of patients in Texas from May 2020.
Since then, the variant appears to have spread throughout the country.
According to Dr. Keith T. Gagnon, one of the principal investigators of the study published by Southern Illinois, 20C-US now involves about 50% of the samples in the country.
It's currently widespread in the Upper Midwest, which could be why Ohio state researchers spotted a strikingly similar variant.
Source: ANSA
CB
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