Scientists from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases of South Africa (NICD) reported this Monday, August 30, 2021, the identification of a new strain of the coronavirus. Called C.1.2, this new variant is said to have an unusual mutation rate and is more contagious.
New variant under surveillance in South Africa
In a study published on August 24, scientists at South Africa’s National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) reported the identification of a new strain of the coronavirus. Reported last week by the Kwazulu Natal Research, Innovation and Sequencing Platform (Krisp), the called variant of C.1.2 was first detected in the country last May. Since then, it has also been observed in China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mauritius, New Zealand, but also in Europe, such as England, Portugal and Switzerland. Although it is the subject of increased surveillance, the variant is not, for the time being, classified as being a variant of “of interest” or “of concern” by the WHO as are the variants. Delta and Beta.
A strain with an unusual mutation rate
Although this is a preliminary study not yet confirmed by peers and more work will be needed to understand this new strain, South African scientists have nonetheless reported that the C.1.2 variant – which descends from the C mutation. 1- would mutate twice as quickly as the other variants. Indeed, the study revealed that the C.1.2 line has a mutation rate of approximately 41.8 mutations per year. In addition, it is almost twice as fast as the current overall mutation rate of the other variants. According to epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding, this new strain is the one that has mutated the most compared to the original Wuhan strain.
A variant that could be more contagious and more resistant to vaccines
Moreover, this new strain could prove to be more contagious and more resistant to vaccines. Indeed, the scientists pointed out that the peculiarities of the virus could help it escape antibodies and immune responses, including in patients who have already been infected with the Alpha or Beta variants. However, specialists point out that one should not draw a hasty conclusion. And for good reason, South Africa has only 9.3% of its population with a complete vaccination schedule. In a country that is still poorly vaccinated, it is therefore difficult to measure the resistance of the variant to the vaccine, as explained by Penny Moore, researcher at the NICD: ” At this stage, we have no experimental data to confirm how it reacts, in terms of sensitivity to antibodies. “.
