Researchers at Texas A&M University have identified a variant of the COVID-19 virus that they say has genetic markers that indicate possible resistance to antibodies, according to a statement from the university.
“We do not currently know the full meaning of this variant, but it does contain a combination of mutations similar to other internationally notifiable variants,” said Ben Neuman, chief virologist at the university’s Global Health Research Complex. “This variant combines genetic markers separately that are associated with rapid spread, serious diseases and high resistance to neutralizing antibodies.”
The so-called BV-1 is related to the B.1.1.7 variant that caused a boom in the UK, the university said.
Dr Monica Gandhi, a professor of medicine at UCSF, said she is not yet concerned about this variant as she has not seen the actual peer-reviewed data that it is resistant to antibodies.
“There were initial reports that B.1.351 [the variant first identified in South Africa], and other variants were antibody resistance, but this was reversed by other reports and the six-month data on the Pfizer vaccine that showed 100% efficacy against serious diseases, even with the B.1.352 variant, “Gandhi said in ‘ “In addition, variants are covered by vaccines, specifically when looking at T-cell responses generated by the vaccines that can neutralize different variants.”
Texas A&M researchers have identified a single case of the variant at the University’s Global Health Research Complex in a saliva sample taken from a Texas A&M student in early March.
The variant is named after the ‘Brazos Valley’, the region with seven provinces where Texas A&M is located.
As the United States continues to issue vaccines, concerns are spreading in some countries. California has so far avoided a significant increase in cases. The positive percentage of seven days in the state was 1.5% from Wednesday, one of the lowest in the country.