The B.1.351 variant from South Africa of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus was confirmed to be in Maryland by Governor Larry Hogan on Jan. 30.
State officials confirmed the variant’s existence in the state via their department of health after consulting the CDC.
The virus strain is still under research and appears to be more transmissible than other variants, but hasn’t shown to cause more severity in the illness or risk of death.
The case implicates an adult residing in the Baltimore metro region who has not traveled outside the country. Authorities are tracing his potential contacts to test and/or quarantine.
“State health officials are closely monitoring the B.1.351 variant of SARS-CoV-2 in the state,” Gov. Hogan said in a release. “We strongly encourage Marylanders to practice extra caution to limit the additional risk of transmission associated with this variant. Please continue to practice standard public health and safety measures, including mask wearing, regular hand washing, and physical distancing.”
Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Novavax said that their vaccines have not been as successful against the B.1.351 strain.
The Wexner Medical Center in Ohio said on Jan. 13 their scientists had also detected a new variant.
The scientists say that this variant “carries a mutation identical to the U.K. strain,” but that it plausibly came into existence from a genus already in existence in the United States.
Additionally, the document asserts that three mutations were found together for the first time in another SARS-CoV2 strain that evolved in the United States.
“This new Columbus strain has the same genetic backbone as earlier cases we’ve studied, but these three mutations represent a significant evolution,” said vice-chair of the division of molecular pathology Dr. Dan Jones, who led the study. “We know this shift didn’t come from the U.K. or South African branches of the virus.”
These mutations, the study indicates, likely make the virus more transmittable from human to human.
Another researcher involved in the study presented a concerning problem: the vaccines and current therapeutic approaches’ efficacy on the new variants.
“The big question is whether these mutations will render vaccines and current therapeutic approaches less effective,” said Peter Mohler, a co-author of the study. “At this point, we have no data to believe that these mutations will have any impact on the effectiveness of vaccines now in use.”
From The Epoch Times
