“Double Mutation” Coronavirus Mutant Found in California | News

San Francisco — a perhaps anxious variant of the coronavirus first identified in India — very new and without a formal name — was discovered in California by scientists at Stanford University.

Called the “double mutant” variant by the BBC and others, this variant is of interest to two, not just one, in the genetic composition identified among other mutants of concern tracked in the United States. The inclusion of mutations raises concerns among some scientists. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“I don’t know how these two mutations behave when paired,” Dr. Benjamin Pinsky, director of the Institute for Clinical Virology at Stanford University, said in an interview Monday. ..

The existence of the newly discovered variant was first revealed by the Government of India on March 24, Pinsky said. New variants are involved in about 15% to 20% of new coronavirus cases there.

A day later, on March 25, a laboratory at Stanford University identified the same mutant in a coronavirus sample taken from a patient in the San Francisco Bay Area.

“On the 25th, we actually got the sequence back and found,’Wow, this is actually the same variant they’re talking about,'” Pinsky said. “Therefore, this rapid spread around the world is very impressive and there are some concerns.” Why is this new variant anxious?

A laboratory at Stanford University identified one confirmed new variant and an estimated seven from samples from patients in the Bay Area, Pinsky said.

None of the other mutants monitored by federal authorities have the same combination of these two mutations known as L452R and E484Q, the latter closely with the better known mutation known as E484K. It is related.

The L452R mutation became well known in California as found in California variants (B.1.427 / B.1.429), making the virus more infectious and weakening the immunity of vaccinated people. Brought the strain that is believed to be.

The E484Q mutation is closely associated with the E484K mutation found in the first mutant identified in South Africa (B.1.351). Brazil (P.1 and P.2) and New York (B.1.526). There are also concerns because the E484K mutation may give the virus the ability to partially evade the defense response of the immune system among those who have been vaccinated or who have survived the traditional COVID-19 disease.

“What we don’t know is how they (two mutations) behave when they are put into the same virus,” Pinsky said. “There is a reasonable amount of information on each of these (two mutations), but would it be even worse if they were together? How do they interact? I really don’t know. “

Stanford University’s lab regularly performs genetic analysis of coronavirus samples from COVID-19 patients in the Bay Area. They screen for three interesting mutations: L452R, E484K, and N501Y. The N501Y variant, which is thought to increase the transmission of coronavirus, is found in one of the British variants (B.1.1.7), South African variants, and Brazilian variants (P.1).

The Stanford University lab was designed to detect only closely related E484K mutations, but was able to detect a new variant of the E484Q mutation. “So it’s a coincidence that we were able to identify this,” Pinsky said.Variants emphasize the importance of vaccination

The emergence of new variants emphasizes how important it is to vaccinate as many people as possible quickly. New York’s most famous subspecies, B.1.526, is believed to have emerged in the Washington Heights district of Manhattan and soon spread throughout the city. Dr. Anthony Fauci, an infectious disease expert in the United States, said in a briefing last month.

One way mutants can emerge is to infect one person with a weakened immune system, said Dr. Rochelle Warrensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in March. Said.

Coronavirus infections in people with a weakened immune system can be a breeding ground for the emergence of mutants simply because “if the virus is not removed quickly, immunological choices are made within a particular individual. “.” Means that the virus can evolve and become more robust in the person.

“That was probably the way this all started with (New York’s B.1.526 variant),” Fauci said on March 1.

The only way to suppress the creation of new variants is to delay the transmission of the virus.

Potential nightmare scenarios can result from the epidemic of variants such as the one that struck Brazil. The city of Manaus is one of the most devastated cities in the world for conventional strains of the coronavirus and is now substantive by Dr. Stefano Bertozzi, a professor of health policy and honorary dean of the new Brazilian variant of health policy. It seems that there are many re-infections. A professor at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health spoke at a forum at the University of California, San Francisco last month.

However, the immunity produced by the vaccine is believed to be superior to the immunity produced by surviving COVID-19.

Also, some variants are thought to slightly reduce the effectiveness of some vaccines, but some experts state that the reduction is only equal to mild to moderate illness.

Vaccines currently available and under development are essentially 100% protected against death, even in areas where variants are widely distributed.

For example, the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Johnson & Johnson, Novavax, and AstraZeneca was studied in South Africa and “all compared to studies conducted in other parts of the world where (South Africa’s B.1.351 variant) was absent. It has shown reduced effectiveness. It does not exist, “Pinsky said. “But it’s important to note that all vaccines are very effective in preventing serious illness and death. Basically, so far, all vaccines are 100% effective. “

“Vaccines can actually effectively address these variants,” said Andy Slavit, senior adviser to the White House’s COVID-19 response team. “We are worried”

When asked about the new variant, Barbara Ferrer, director of public health at Los Angeles County, said, “We are as worried as everyone else.”

“The tool we have for everyone right now is to prevent as many infections as possible, which means that the variants also don’t circulate,” Feller said in a briefing on Monday. It was. “The more transmission, the more entrenched the variant.”

British variants are the most commonly detected in the United States. More than 15,000 cases have been reported in all 50 states of the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. In contrast, South African variants have been detected in more than 300 cases, Brazilian P.1 variants have been identified in more than 200 cases, and none of these variants have been detected in all states. ..

In California, the two most dominant variants are the California and UK variants. The California Public Health Service has recorded over 9,000 California variants and 851 UK variants. There were 35 Brazilian P.1 variants, 33 New York B.1.526 variants, 22 Brazilian P.2 variants, and 10 South African variants.

South African, British, and Brazilian variants have been detected in Los Angeles County, but none of them control the region, Ferrer said.

“We want to keep it that way, so let’s do all our roles: vaccinate when it’s our turn,” she said. Was

The emergence of new variants occurs because other pandemic indicators in California are superior to most of the country.

“California currently has the lowest positive rate in the country,” Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted Monday. Of all the states, California has the third lowest per capita coronavirus infection rate in the past week, according to the CDC, with 46 new coronavirus infection rates per 100,000 inhabitants in the last seven days. there is. Only Oklahoma and Arkansas reported lower rates.

Michigan, on the other hand, has the worst case rate across the country, with 452.5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the past week, followed by New Jersey and New York.

Still, authorities have expressed concern that the situation in California could worsen if people suddenly decide to stop wearing masks and gather in the crowd. Only one-third of Californians are vaccinated at least partially.

“Our reality is that there are more and more cases all over the country and around the world, and more is mixed here in LA County, so the public until more people are vaccinated. We need to continue hygiene safety measures, if we want to maintain our interests, “Feller said.