Explained | What is the new coronavirus variant in South Africa?
The Hindu
Ten cases have so far been confirmed.
Formally known as B.1.1.529 this is a newly designated variant of the Sars cov2 virus. Though knowledge on it is still nascent, researchers across the world have been pointing to the variant having an unusually large number of mutations that in theory could be make them more transmissible. B.1.1.529 variant has about 50 mutations overall, including more than 30 on the spike protein alone. The spike protein is the part of the virus that latches on to the surface of the human cell and is the most conspicuous part of the virus. The existing vaccines are designed to target the spike protein and the more mutations there are on them, the greater the odds that the virus has the ability to evade them.
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