New variant of COVID-19 discovered in Ohio

Nypost

New variant of COVID-19 discovered in Ohio"


Play all audios:

Loading...

Scientists at Ohio State University have discovered a new variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 — and also found the evolution of another US strain with three gene mutations not


previously seen together in the illness.


The researchers at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine said the new variant carries a mutation identical to the UK strain, but it likely arose in a strain already


present in the US.


The medical center has been sequencing the virus genome in infected patients since March 2020 in order to monitor the evolution of the bug, according to a press release.


“The new variant was discovered in one patient from Ohio, so researchers do not yet know the prevalence of the strain in the population,” it said.“In contrast, the evolving strain with the


three new mutations has become the dominant virus in Columbus during a three week period in late December 2020 and January,” the statement added.


Dr. Dan Jones, vice chairman of the division of molecular pathology and study leader, said the “new Columbus strain has the same genetic backbone as earlier cases we’ve studied, but these


three mutations represent a significant evolution.


“We know this shift didn’t come from the UK or South African branches of the virus,” he added.


“Like the UK strain, mutations detected in both viruses affect the spikes that stud the surface of SARS-Cov-2. The spikes enable the virus to attach to and enter human cells,” according to


the release.


“Also like the UK strain, the mutations in the Columbus strain are likely to make the virus more infectious, making it easier for the virus to pass from person to person,” it said.


Study co-author Peter Mohler, chief scientific officer at Wexner Medical Center, said: “The big question is whether these mutations will render vaccines and current therapeutic approaches


less effective.


“At this point, we have no data to believe that these mutations will have any impact on the effectiveness of vaccines now in use,” Mohler said.“It’s important that we don’t overreact to this


new variant until we obtain additional data,” he continued. “We need to understand the impact of mutations on transmission of the virus, the prevalence of the strain in the population and


whether it has a more significant impact on human health.”


Mohler added that “it is critical that we continue to monitor the evolution of the virus so we can understand the impact of the mutant forms on the design of both diagnostics and


therapeutics. It is critical that we make decisions based on the best science.”


The researchers said the discovery of the Columbus variant – called COH.20G/501Y — suggests that the same mutation may be occurring independently in several parts of the globe in the past


few months.“Viruses naturally mutate and evolve over time, but the changes seen in the last two months have been more prominent than in the first months of the pandemic,” said Jones, whose


team has been conducting Ohio State’s genetic sequencing on environmental and patient samples.


Trending News

Video Author Angeline Boulley talks about her new book, 'Firekeeper’s Daughter' - ABC News

ABC NewsVideoLiveShowsShopStream onExclusiveExclusiveZelenskyy interview Los Angeles ICE protests Trump-Musk feud Hegset...

Identical sequence of light chains from rabbit anti-streptococcal antibodies

ABSTRACT CONSIDERABLE advances have been made with special breeding programmes in the selection of rabbits with amplifie...

Energy crisis: MPs urged to end long parliamentary recess as bill lifelines face delay

Businesses across the country have urged MPs to cancel a parliament recess that has been called following the death of t...

Hothouse earth: our planet has been here before – here’s what it looked like

Even if carbon emissions are reduced to hold temperature rises at the 2°C guardrail of the Paris Agreement, changes alre...

New Executive Order Takes Aim at Lowering Prescription Drug Costs

Getty Images Facebook Twitter LinkedIn President Trump on Monday signed an executive order that aims to cut Americans’ p...

Latests News

New variant of COVID-19 discovered in Ohio

Scientists at Ohio State University have discovered a new variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 — and also found the...

Treasures of New York | Four Freedoms Park Preview | PBS

Treasures of New YorkFour Freedoms Park PreviewPreview | 36sExplores the architectural gem honoring Franklin Delano Roos...

Acrif9 tethers non-sequence specific dsdna to the crispr rna-guided surveillance complex

ABSTRACT Bacteria have evolved sophisticated adaptive immune systems, called CRISPR-Cas, that provide sequence-specific ...

Inspector dies in honeybee attack at Ujjain police training school - The Statesman

According to reports, the incident occurred due to heavy rain and strong winds that damaged a honeycomb on a tree within...

Kobe Bryant dead: Donald Trump pays tribute to NBA legend after helicopter death

The US President referred to Bryant's death as "terrible news" in a tweet on Sunday night.Mr Trump wrote: "Reports are t...

Top