A new strain of coronavirus found in the Republic of South Africa (RSA) has a mutation that makes it more aggressive than the original virus. This was stated by Director General of the South African Medical Research Council Glenda Gray in an interview with eNCA.
Gray said that the new mutation was found in a special area of the protein spike on the surface of the coronavirus called the receptor-binding domain. Due to the mutation, the coronavirus “attaches” more easily to the receptor for the ACE2 protein, which is located in the mucous membrane of the lungs and several other organs. “This is a concern for us because it makes the virus more infectious,” she explained.
Gray added that similar mutations could be found in other countries. “One such mutation was found in our country, similar in the UK, which suggests that similar mutations may be in other parts of the world,” she said.
A new variant of the virus, dubbed 501Y.V2, was found in samples taken from Nelson Mandela Bay, an urban district in the Eastern Cape in South Africa. According to experts, it could circulate from the end of August.
The first cases of infection with a new strain of coronavirus outside South Africa were recorded in the UK. According to the country's health minister, Matthew Hancock, cases of infection with the new mutation were found in contacts with infected people from an African country.
