Coronation: African scientists say they have found a new variant of the coronavirus in Angola, which carries more mutations -total 34- than any other known variant so far.
Investigators, led by Tulio de Oliveira of KwaZulu-Natal University in Durban, South Africa and Sylvia Lutukuta of the Angolan Ministry of Health in Luanda, who made the relevant pre-post on medRxix, according to "Nature", discovered the variant after genetic analysis of samples from three people who were passengers on a flight from Tanzania to Angola in February this year.
The new variant, temporarily named A.VOI.V2, has 34 mutations, of which 14 to the spike protein used by the coronavirus to infect human cells. The genomes of the coronavirus from all three travelers were almost identical, while several of 34 mutations have been found in other already known variants. This variant needs to be studied further, according to scientists, because her mutations probably help her escape the immune reactions of some people.
Reminded, that at the end 2020 the Genomic Surveillance Network of N.. Africa had for the first time- detect the known -now- today the most contagious "South African" variant 501Y.V2, which is more resistant to antibodies and which has now spread to more than 50 Countries (and in GREECE).
Angola, in which there have been approximately 21.500 confirmed cases and 500 deaths from Covid-19, has imposed mandatory rapid antigen tests (rapid) to all air travelers arriving at its international airport, in addition to presenting a negative molecular test of the latter 72 hours. All those who have a positive rapid test upon arrival in the country, isolated at least for 14 days, while those who have a negative rapid test, self-isolated for 10 days.
See HERE the scientific pre-publication.
Source: eleftherostypos.gr
