Category: Variants
B1427/B1429 are listed as Variants of Concern by the CDC, as Variants of Interest (VOI) by WHO
The World Health Organization lists as B.1.427 and B.1.429 as Variants of Interest. More...
Sri Lanka: new SGTF coronavirus variant appears to have completely displaced B.1.411 within 10 days
Prof. Malavige said that currently, over 95% of the samples from Colombo, Kurunegala and Kalutara give an ‘S drop’, suggesting that these infections are due to this variant [B.1.1.7]. More...
Nepal: rise in coronavirus cases has similar trajectory to India driven by B117 and B1617
Authorities in Nepal are grappling to contain the rapid rise of COVID-19 cases with experts fearing that thousands of people in the Himalayan state have caught the more infectious mutant strains emerging out of India. More...
Cyprus: two-week lockdown imposed to try and reverse a spike in coronavirus infections
A two-week coronavirus lockdown has been introduced in Cyprus from 26th March 2021. More...
USA: large covid-19 outbreak in Kentucky with R.1 coronavirus lineage variant after vaccine breakthrough with Pfizer
The Kentucky Department for Public Health and a local health department investigated a COVID-19 outbreak in a skilled nursing facility that occurred after all residents and health care personnel had been offered vaccination. More...
France: 18 new infections reported of the 19B/501Y Henri Mondor coronavirus variant
The 19B / 501Y Henri Mondor variant (lineage A.27) has been detected in France since January 2021 infrequently but overall stable, with fluctuations from one week to the next: it represented 1% of sequences interpretable in the Flash # 6 survey (03/30/2021) versus 0.2% in the Flash # 5 survey (03/16/2021). More...
France: Breton variant B.1.616 – 37 cases & 16 deaths with just 9% of cases detected by first RT-PCR coronavirus test
As of 04/21, 37 confirmed cases of infection with the 20C / 655Y [B.1.616] variant have been reported in France, including 34 in Brittany and 3 in other regions in people linked to the area of circulation of the virus in Brittany (made up of several urban communities around Lannion, Guingamp, Saint-Brieuc, Paimpol). More...
UK SAGE: Lab studies suggest that the N501Y spike protein mutation increases binding to rat and mouse ACE2 leading to viral replication
A report issued by the UK government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) found the likelihood that a variant of concern (VOC) that has arisen in humans could infect a rodent and then spread among the animals is high. More...
India: Over 50% of coronavirus genome samples in some Maharahstra cities are “double mutant” B.1.617
Sujeet Singh, director of the Indian National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), said that in Maharashtra, the B.1.617 variant was found in proportions of over 50% in many cities. More...
USA: New Texas coronavirus variant BV-1 shows signs of antibody resistance and more severe illness in young people
Scientists at Texas A&M University’s Global Health Research Complex say they’ve detected a new Covid-19 variant that shows signs of a more contagious strain that causes more severe illness and appears to be resistant to antibodies.