New coronavirus variant spreading in New York City
By Zack Budryk - 02/24/21 08:31 PM EST A coronavirus variant spreading in New York City, the U.S. epicenter of the virus last spring, may be more resistant to vaccines, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
The B.1.526 variant is detectable in samples going back to at least November. Researchers at Caltech and Columbia University have conducted studies on the variant, although neither has yet been peer-reviewed or published.
Michel Nussenzweig, an immunologist at Rockefeller University who was not involved in either study, told the Times he considered the variant more worrisome than another detected in California.
“It’s not particularly happy news,†said Nussenzweig. “But just knowing about it is good because then we can perhaps do something about it.â€
Both the California and New York variants are distinct from one believed to have originated in Britain, which is on track to become the most common form of the virus in the U.S. by late March.
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https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/540429-new-coronavirus-variant-spreading-in-new-york-city
