Laboratory tests have found that the P.1 coronavirus variant, which originated in Brazil, can infect people who have been granted immunity to previous COVID-19 infections.
The New York Times reports that the revelation was made during research on the rapid outbreak of the P.1 strain in the city of Manaus, Brazil, where it dominated because it was more contagious.
Nuno Faria, virologist at Imperial College London and a researcher who led many of the P.1. studies, told the Times that the recent findings applied to Manaus. He said he was unsure if it was relevant elsewhere.
Faria and his colleagues noted that Manaus appears to have overcome the worst pandemic after reaching a peak in April last year, simply because the cases had to increase again at the end of 2020. originated.
After researching varianomas and medical records, the researchers concluded that the P.1 variant affected Manaus due to its mutations, and they estimate that it is between 1.4 and 2.2 times more contagious than others. coronavirus strain.
The researchers confirmed their conclusion by mixing P.1 viruses with antibodies obtained from people who had the coronavirus last year, and found that the antibodies were six times less effective at stopping the P.1 coronavirus.
The authors warn that the study, which was not published in a medical journal, was done only on cells in laboratories and not on humans.
According to Faria, the risk of P.1 outbreaks can be reduced by doubling existing virus mitigation methods, including masks, social distance and vaccinations.
“The ultimate message is that you need to increase all vaccination efforts as quickly as possible,” Faria said. “You have to be one step ahead of the virus.”
The Brazilian tribe has already moved to dozens of other countries, including the US, which has reported cases of the P.1 variant in Alaska, Florida, Maryland, Minnesota and Oklahoma.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ten cases of the P.1 variant have so far been reported in the US.