Scientists fear that a new COVID-19 variant in Finland (different from the UK and South African strains) could fuel the spread of the disease by failing to appear for testing, according to reports.
Helsinki-based Vita Laboratories, which made the discovery, said the variant is unlikely to appear in Finland, given the Scandinavian country’s low infection rate, Evening Standard reports.
“Vita Laboratoriot Oy and the Institute of Biotechnology at the University of Helsinki have detected an unknown variant of the coronavirus in a sample from southern Finland,” the laboratory said about the variant, called “Fin-796H”.
“Mutations in this variant make it difficult to detect in at least one of the PCR tests recommended by the WHO. This finding could have a significant impact in determining the spread of the disease, “he added.
Ilkka Julkunen, a professor of virology at the University of Turku, told the local Yle press that the emergence of the variant was not yet a major concern.
“I still wouldn’t be very worried because we don’t have clear information that this new strain will be transmitted more easily or that it would affect the immune protection caused by having already had the virus or having received a vaccine,” he said, according to the Standard.
Referring to South African and British strains, the lab said the legacy of the Fin-796H “has the same characteristics as the generally widespread variants in the world, but does not appear to belong to the lineage of any of the previously known variants.” . Sun reported.
The effectiveness of vaccines against the new variant is unclear.
Finland has recorded 51,595 cases and 723 deaths since the pandemic began.