A new strain of coronavirus that shares some features with the South African variant is emerging in New York City, researchers said Wednesday.
In mid-February, the new variant, called B.1.526, was present in about 12% of coronavirus samples collected in the Big Apple and surrounding areas, according to researchers at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. Vagelos.
In their analysis of publicly available databases, Columbia researchers did not find a high prevalence of COVID-19 variants from South Africa or Brazil in the region.
“Instead, we have found a large number of this home lineage,” said Dr. Anne-Catrin Uhlemann, an adjunct professor in the infectious diseases division of the University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, in a statement. of Columbia.
The Columbia study found that the new strain shares some similarities to the South African strain, which scientists believe can spread more easily than other virus variants.
B.1.526 was also described in research published this week by the California Institute of Technology.
Neither study has been reviewed by external experts.
With publishing cables