A coronavirus strain discovered for the first time in Los Angeles, California. Although it appears to be widespread, scientists are still studying different types of transmissibility and virulence.
A team of researchers from Cedar-Sinai said a variant called CAL.20C was found in July before it began moving rapidly in November and December. The findings were published in a JAMA Network research paper on Thursday, which drew 185 analyzed samples out of a total of 2,311. The team identified variants in 36% of the 185 samples.
“Since then, such prevalence has increased in the state of California and Southern California, where on January 22, 2021, it accounted for 35% (86 out of 247) and 44% (37 out of 85) of all samples collected in January, respectively. , “Reads a research paper.
LA Shutting Down Covid-19 Vaccination Sites
The study authors say that this variant has been found in 26 states, Washington, DC and six countries.
“Tensions now account for about half of the current Covid-1 cases in Southern California – about twice as much as in the region a month ago,” the Cedars-Sinai publication said in a related publication. .
Last month, researchers identified more than a third of the CAL.20CA LA covid-19 patients, the researchers said.
The first cases of coronavirus in South Africa, California, have been identified in various bay bay areas.
“KL20C is moving forward, and we think it’s the people in California who are moving it,” said Jasmine Plummer, a research scientist at the Cedars-Sinai Center for Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics. Said the director. Cedar-Sinai and study co-author.
The release notes that Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) saw about 2 million passengers a month in November and December, serving as the U.S.’s main gateway to many overseas destinations, including Australia, Australia and New Zealand, where it now serves CL20. C. Have found. “
Dr. Cedars-Sinai, Assistant Professor of Pathology in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Director of Molecular Pathology and Co-Senior Study Author Eric Vyle said the team is interested in stress because it involves mutations with spike proteins, which the virus uses to infect healthy cells.
Get the Fox News app
The Cedar-Sinai team said the findings were limited due to the small set of local samples, but the findings are still important for virus surveillance.
“Since this study was limited to a relatively small group of publicly available genome databases and local samples, the possibility of collection discrimination cannot be ruled out. Furthermore, as clinical results are yet to be established, the functional effect of this infection-related strain and disease severity is uncertain. However, the novel’s strain identification is important for further and global monitoring of this evolving virus. “
