Lebanese study: “our results represent the first epidemiological study in Lebanon to demonstrate the presence of new “S-mutant variant(s)” within our population, which may be similar to those previously identified in the UK, South Africa and Brazil, or a new one, that is responsible for the surge in COVID-19 cases during the third stage of the study”
“Whether the above variant(s) is one of the internationally identified lineages or is a new variant that has emerged within the Lebanese population remains to be deciphered. More studies are needed to investigate the nature of the present variant(s). The lack of appropriate sequencing techniques in our country is a limitation implementing further studies regarding identifying the nature of the new variant(s) due to the financial and economic crisis that the country is currently experiencing.”
