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on April 8, 2021
Amid a recent increase in COVID-19 variant cases in Santa Clara County, researchers at the Stanford Clinical Virology Lab discovered another new variant in the county, called the “double mutant.” It was first reported in India and is now the first confirmed case in California.
Higher transmissibility and reduced immune response against the variant are concerning, but “it seems likely that our current vaccines, especially the mRNA products, will remain effective,” wrote infectious disease clinical professor Stanley Deresinski in an email to The Daily.
Every variant of concern has now been detected in Santa Clara County, including the B.1.1.7 strain originally discovered in the United Kingdom, B.1.351 in South Africa, P.1 in Brazil, B.1.525 and B.1.52 in New York and L452R, now known as B.1.427 and B.1.429, in California.
âDouble mutantâ COVID strain discovered in California
Doctors worry about new double mutant strain of COVID-19 By Sabrina Wilson | April 5, 2021 at 6:25 PM CDT - Updated April 6 at 11:52 AM
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Variants of the novel coronavirus are teaming up, so to speak. A so-called âdouble mutantâ is making headlines.
Dr. Bob Garry is a Tulane University virologist and microbiologist who reacted to the two mutations found in one virus.
âThis one has two mutations that weâve been looking at for a while and they are in some important parts of the molecule that lets the virus attach to cells, so we have to keep an eye on them,â said Garry.
Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
A new coronavirus variant has been detected in India and northern California.
It has a combination of mutations that may help it spread more quickly or evade vaccines.
But there s no evidence yet that the variant is doubly scary or doubly transmissible, an expert said.
Another worrisome coronavirus variant has made its global debut.
Scientists from the Indian state of Maharashtra identified a new strain two weeks ago that s linked to between 15% and 20% of cases there.
The variant has earned the somewhat ominous nickname double mutant because it has an unprecedented combination of two mutations that may help it both attach better to human cells and hide from the immune system.
New Double Mutant Coronavirus Variant From India Found In California For First Time Deadline 1 hr ago
Just as California seemed to be on the verge of truly turning the Covid-19 corner, the Stanford Clinical Virology Lab confirmed a case of an emerging variant that originated in India, Deadline has learned.
According to Lisa Kim, Senior Manager of Media Relations for Stanford Health Care, “The Clinical Virology Lab at Stanford Health Care identified and confirmed the newly described ‘India’ variant last week. This variant has the L452R mutation found in the CA variant, as well as another significant spike mutation, E484Q. This same position is mutated to a different amino acid (K) in both the South Africa and Brazil (P.1 and P.2) variants.”
Lisa Kim, a spokeswoman for Stanford Health Careâs School of Medicine, told
India-West: âWe believe this is the first described case with this variant in the United States.â
The India variant has the L452R mutation found in the California variant, as well as another significant spike mutation, E484Q. Â This same position is mutated to a different amino acid (K) in both the South Africa and Brazil P1 and P2 variants, said Kim.
The new double mutant variant has shown up in at least 20 percent of COVID cases in Maharashtra, which is experiencing a huge resurgence in the number of daily infections. Even as the state races to vaccinate all of its residents, it has logged almost 50,000 new cases per day for the past seven days.