California Covid-19 Variant: How Transmissible, Deadly & Resistant To Vaccines It May Be

[appalachiablue]

- 'What You Should Know About The California COVID-19 Variant. Huff Post, Feb. 26, 2021. Emerging research is offering a glimpse into how transmissible, deadly and resistant to vaccines this strain may be.

Researchers are sounding the alarm about a COVID-19 variant found in California, warning that emerging evidence shows it could possibly be deadlier, more transmissible and more resistant to vaccines. The strain, known as B.1.427/B.1.429 or CAL.20C, was discovered by two separate research teams earlier this year. While the studies are still in the early stages and are yet to be published, scientists looking into the variant say it can’t be ignored. “The devil is already here,” Dr. Charles Chiu, an infectious diseases researcher and physician at the University of California, San Francisco, who’s leading an analysis of the new variant, told the Los Angeles Times this week.

“I wish it were different. But the science is the science.”

His research suggests this strain of the virus has been circulating in California since May 2020. Chiu’s research is expected be made public later this week on MedRxiv, a website serving as a platform to share research before it’s formally published. A separate analysis of the strain by researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles was shared there late last month. - Here’s what we know so far about the California strain. - What’s different about this variant? The California strain has multiple mutations, including some on its spike protein, which is the part of the virus that binds to cells so that it can infect them. One of those mutations appears to stabilize the interaction between the spike protein and receptor it uses to bind to human cells, which would make it better at infecting people.
In total, there are 4 mutations to this strain that have not been seen in the 3 other concerning variants first found in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil, UCSF found. Another, different variant was also discovered in New York City recently.

Mutations to a virus are normal; they may have no impact on the pathogen or may even lessen its powers. But changes to the spike protein are more concerning to scientists. Three of the four never-before-seen mutations on this California strain involve the spike protein, and while the exact implications of those mutations are not yet known for sure, they certainly set off red flags. “B.1.427/B.1.429 should likely be designated a variant of concern warranting urgent follow-up investigation,” the UCSF analysis says. - So is it more contagious? Research suggests it may be. “I’m decently confident that this is a more infectious strain of the virus,” Eric Vail, the director of molecular pathology at Cedars-Sinai, told The New York Times last month.

Both studies suggest the mutated virus has quickly taken hold in California. Preliminary findings from the Cedars-Sinai team showed that while the strain was nearly nonexistent in October, it eventually accounted for 36.4% of virus samples from Cedars-Sinai patients and 24% of all samples from Southern California by December. The UCSF team’s findings are also alarming. Their preliminary research analyzed 2,172 virus samples collected between those dates across 44 California counties and found that prevalence of the strain in the state went from 0% in September to more than 50% in January. That encompasses a period of extremely high case rates and coronavirus deaths in California, especially in Los Angeles County. However, it’s not clear how big of a role this new variant played in the surge in cases. There’s more reason to believe it may be more contagious than other variants...

Read More, (Loud Video), https://www.huffpost.com/entry/california-covid-variant-strain_l_60368cc5c5b69253191aa143
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- Despite Lower Case Counts, California Coronavirus Variant Concerns Scientists, NBC7, Feb. 26 '21,
https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/coronavirus/despite-lower-case-counts-california-coronavirus-variant-concerns-scientists/2533833/

As the U.S. ramps up its efforts to track various strains of the coronavirus, two new studies suggest that a California variant is spreading rapidly throughout the state. “The California variant is now another one of these variants of concerns,” said Dr. Bruce Walker, an immunologist at Harvard Medical School. The strain, known as B.1.427 and B.1.429, was discovered by two separate research teams earlier this year. While studies are still in the early stages, medical experts say it can't be ignored.

.. “It may replicate at higher levels,” Walker said. “Another thing that was found is that it may be more transmissible, more able to infect cells, and it may be slightly less recognizable by antibodies.” Walker is referring about the findings in a study by UC San Francisco researchers. According to the report, the California strain could possibly be more damaging to the body. Samples for the study were collected from around the state and include ones taken from hospital patients and nursing home residents...

[Liberty Belle]

1. Damn, not what we need. A relative in LA died this week of COVID

after weeks on a ventilator. He was only in his 50s and leaves behind a widow and five children.

Now I wonder if he had the new and deadlier CA variant.

[niyad]

2. I am so sorry for your loss.

[Skittles]

4. very sorry, Liberty Belle

[niyad]

3. KNR and bookmarking.