SARS-CoV-2 Variants - Coronavirus COVID-19 **NO DISCUSSION**

[margarita25]

“At this stage, we know a cluster has been identified this past February 22 in Lannion hospital, Côtes-d’Armor. After in-depth analyses, 79 cases have been identified as of March 13, including 8 cases carrying the “Breton variant”. These cases have been confirmed after sequencing performed by Institut Pasteur that revealed “a new variant […] carrying nine mutations in the area coding for S protein, as well as in other viral regions”, the DGS stated in a message sent to health professionals.

The particularity? People carrying the variant show Covid-19 symptoms, but their PCR tests ended up negative. “An assessment is going on in order to assess the likely impact of the genetic modifications on a failure in virological tests to recognize the virus leading to under-diagnosis”, the DGS stated.

So far, we still ignore the level of danger of this “Breton variant”, but investigations are being carried out. Yet, according to health authorities, “the first analyses of this new variant do not enable to conclude on increased seriousness or transmissibility compared to the historic virus”.”

Covid: what we know about the new “Breton variant” surveilled by authorities
March 16, 2021

 

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'Double mutant' coronavirus variant surfaces in Bay Area. Here's what we know

‘Double Mutant' COVID-19 Variant Found in the Bay Area
The new, more easily transmissible double mutation is believed to be responsible for the surge in cases in India

https://www.wxyz.com/news/coronavirus/double-mutant-covid-19-variant-discovered-in-the-bay-area

First case of India's 'double mutant' COVID-19 variant found in San Francisco Bay Area

 

[margarita25]

First Cases Of COVID-19 P.1 Variant Detected In Colorado

“Two cases of the COVID-19 P.1 variant have been detected in Colorado, the Centers for Disease Control announced Tuesday. This is the first detection of P.1 in the state. Both cases are residents of Boulder County.“

 

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More transmissible coronavirus variants on the rise in Pa. and N.J., as case counts keep going up

“The numbers on the variant come from Helix, a genetic testing company in San Mateo, Calif., that tracks the trends in two ways. One involves deciphering the complete 30,000-letter code of the coronavirus, a time-consuming approach that generally means the results are not compiled until several weeks after testing.

A faster, shorthand method for identifying the variant involves using the regular PCR tests of patient nasal swabs. Individuals are said to test positive if their swabs contain genetic material from three telltale regions of the viral genome.

But the signature mutation of the “British” variant, formally called B.1.1.7, happens to fall in one of those three telltale regions — meaning that a sample from an infected person will come back as positive for just two regions, rather than all three. This test by omission — the “S-Gene Target Failure,” abbreviated SGTF — is widely accepted as evidence that the variant is present.“

 

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Army’s own vaccine that could fight COVID variants begins clinical trials

 

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Children now playing 'huge role' in spread of COVID-19 variant, expert says

"Anywhere you look where you see this emerging, you see that kids are playing a huge role in the transmission of this," Osterholm said. "All the things that we had planned for about kids in schools with this virus are really no longer applicable. We've got to take a whole new look at this issue."

[...]

“The British Medical Journal wrote two months ago that "emerging evidence from Israel and Italy (shows) more young children are being infected with new variants of COVID-19."“

 

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CDC and state disagree on the number of COVID variants in Colorado | FOX31 Denver

 

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Virus Variant in Brazil Infected Many Who Had Already Recovered From Covid-19
March 1, 2021

 

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Michigan identifies first case of COVID-19 P1 variant from Brazil
April 1, 2021

 

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'Double mutant' coronavirus variant is found in California
April 6, 2021

““SAN FRANCISCO — A possibly worrisome variant of the coronavirus first identified in India — so new that it has no official name — has been found in California by scientists at Stanford University.““

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“The Stanford lab identified one confirmed case of the new variant and seven presumptive cases among samples from patients in the Bay Area, Pinsky said.

None of the other variants being monitored by federal officials have the same combination of these two mutations, known as L452R and E484Q, the latter of which is closely related to a more well-known mutation known as E484K.

The L452R mutation became well known in California as one found in the California variant (B.1.427/B.1.429), resulting in a strain that is believed to make the virus more infectious and might cause reduced immunity in people who have been vaccinated.

The E484Q mutation is closely related to the E484K mutation, which has been found in variants first identified in South Africa (B.1.351); Brazil (P.1 and P.2) and New York(B.1.526). The E484K mutation is also concerning because it might give the virus the ability to partly evade the immune system’s protective response among inoculated people or those who have survived a conventional COVID-19 illness.

“What we don’t know is how those [two mutations] will behave when they’re put in the same virus,” Pinsky said. “There’s a reasonable amount of information about those [two mutations] individually. But will it be worse if they’re together? We don’t really know how they’re going to interact.”“

 

[margarita25]

COVID-19 vaccines work well against California variant, scientists say

 

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BBM
New 'double mutant' COVID-19 variant identified in Northern California
The double mutant COVID-19 variant started in India's largest city known as Mumbai.

“CHICO, Calif. - Doctors recently found the first U.S. case of the new "double mutant" COVID-19 variant in a patient in San Fransisco. The double variant has both the Californiaand South Africa strains combined.“

 

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New COVID variants concern Colorado health officials | FOX31 DENVER

“BOULDER, Colo. (KDVR) — State health officials tell FOX31 that the two cases of the Brazilian COVID-19 variant found in Colorado do not appear to be connected. Officials are still doing contact tracing to try to determine how the two individuals contracted the virus.“

 

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“All three vaccines authorized in the U.S. -- Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson -- have proven to work effectively against the B-117 variant.

The vaccines are also expected to provide immunity for at least six months, and likely longer, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s chief infectious disease expert, said at Wednesday’s briefing.“

UK variant has become most dominant COVID strain in US, CDC says

 

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Colorado / Two COVID-19 variants most prevalent in El Paso County - KRDO

“EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- According to state data, El Paso County leads the way on where most positive COVID-19 variant cases are found in the state of Colorado. Multiple variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been documented in the United States and globally during this pandemic, and two of them are most prevalent in El Paso County.

"The B117, or the UK variant, is the one we're seeing more of, as far as absolute numbers go," says Dr. Robin Johnson of the El Paso County Health Department.

"The other one we are seeing is the California variant. We haven't seen the other ones of concern in El Paso County, though they are in the state in the smaller numbers," she explains.“

 

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1st Cases Of Brazil Variant, More Contagious S. African Variant In L.A. – Deadline

“Public Health Officials in Los Angeles reported on Wednesday that the county had detected the first cases of the Coronavirus variants originally seen in Brazil and South Africa. While only three instances of the virus strain from Brazil — also known as P.1 — and one instance of the variant from South Africa — known as B.1.351 — were detected, they are likely far from the only cases in the county.“

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L.A. County reports 1st known cases of coronavirus variants detected in South Africa and Brazil | KTLA

“The mutated version of the virus first identified in South Africa, known as the B.1.351 variant, was found in one case last week. Meanwhile, another variant of concern first detected in Brazil, known as the P.1 variant, was found in three cases.

“Although these are the first reported cases of the South Africa and Brazil variant in L.A. County, it is likely there are additional undetected and undiagnosed cases,” Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a virtual briefing Wednesday.

That’s because “very few” of the county’s coronavirus specimens undergo genomic sequencing to determine the variant type, Ferrer said.”

 

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“The spread of the U.K. variant, which scientists have found to be more contagious, adds to growing concerns that the country may be on the cusp of another surge. Both case numbers and hospitalizations are increasing, even as the U.S. is vaccinating an average of nearly 3 million people each day.

Walensky reported that some of the recent clusters of cases have been linked to day care centers and youth sports, adding that the uptick in infections seem to be driven by young people.

"Hospitals are seeing more and more younger adults — those in their 30s and 40s — admitted with severe disease," she said.”

U.K. coronavirus variant is now the dominant strain in the U.S., CDC says

 

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Pfizer, Moderna vaccines may be less effective against B1351 variant
Feb. 18, 2021

“All serum samples were able to neutralize the viruses but were about two-thirds weaker against the B1351 spike protein. However, the authors said that because the vaccines also produce other types of immune responses, such as from T cells, they may be more effective in real life than in the lab.

"Thus, it is unclear what effect a reduction in neutralization by approximately two thirds would have on BNT162b2-elicited protection from Covid-19 caused by the B.1.351 lineage of SARS-CoV-2," they wrote.”

[...]

"Protection against the B.1.351 variant conferred by the mRNA-1273 vaccine remains to be determined," the authors said.”

 

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Study finds rapid spread of B.1.1.220 variant with E484K mutation in New York
March 24, 2021

“New research led by Patrick McGann from Walter Reed Army Institute of Research found the first cases of the B.1.1.220 variant with an E484K mutation on the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein. Their results suggest the variant recently emerged as B.1.1.220 was not found in New York before December 2020. Still, it quickly made up 25% of coronavirus strains in late January and early February.“