American scientists reported that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus strain, first recorded in California last spring, may be more dangerous and resistant to vaccines than the original strain. Concern among researchers and healthcare professionals has grown as cases of infection in the state have increased with this particular new variant, known as B.1.427 / B.1.429. Writes about this The New York Times.
The experiments analyzed 2,172 virus samples isolated in California between September 2020 and January 2021. It turned out that in California the number of B.1.427 / B.1.429 infections doubles every 18 days. This variant is 40 times more effective in infecting human cells than earlier strains, and the viral load in the nose and throat in patients was twice as high as in those infected with other variants.
B.1.427 / B.1.429 is as worrisome as other new strains emerging in the UK, South Africa and Brazil, scientists say. Antibodies that appear in people vaccinated or who have had the classic SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus turned out to be less effective against the new strain. However, it appears to be inferior to the South African strain in its ability to resist the human immune system.
An analysis of 300 infections showed that the California strain increases the likelihood of dying from COVID-19, but this result is not statistically significant, since only 12 people have died in the sample. Scientists also doubt that B.1.427 / B.1.429 will become widespread, unlike the British strain B.1.1.7, which is rapidly replacing other variants of the coronavirus.
