South African scientists have detected another coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) variant with multiple mutations but, currently, the experts have not been able to determine if it is highly transmissible or if it can beat the immunity provided by vaccines prior to infection.
Based on the research, the new variant, known as C.1.2., was first detected in May 2021 and it has spread to provinces in South Africa and to seven other countries in Africa, Europe, Asia, and Oceania.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said that C.1.2 was only “present at very low levels” and that it was too early to predict how it might evolve but it has many mutations in connection with other variants with high transmissibility and lower sensitivity to neutralizing antibodies.
Currently, laboratory tests are underway to determine whether the antibodies can neutralize the C.1.2. variant.
“At this stage, we do not have experimental data to confirm how it reacts in terms of sensitivity to antibodies,” NICD researcher Penny Moore said during a press briefing.
Meanwhile, the C.1.2 has not fulfilled the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria as a ” variant of concern” or a “variant of interest”.
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