Israel records new coronavirus strain

Biologists have detected a new strain of a new type of coronavirus. It originated in Israel in the late fall of 2020 and differed from other varieties of the virus by a unique mutation in a vital shell protein. Report informs, citing TASS, the scientists published a description of the virus on medRxiv.

"The P681H strain began to occur in patient bio-fluid samples around November 2020, but traces of its existence can be found in wastewater samples collected as early as October. This mutation, presumably, accelerates the spread of a new type of coronavirus without making it more resistant to antibodies. Presumably, it does not increase the symptoms of infection," the researchers write.

Viruses, like living organisms, acquire many mutations during development. It allows them to better adapt to environmental conditions and compete with their rivals. Among the most famous and 'successful' modifications of the new type of coronavirus are the British, South African, and Brazilian varieties, which scientists learned in the fall of 2020. At the beginning of 2021, these varieties began to dominate in many countries around the world

When studying wastewater samples, biologists led by Neta Zuckerman from the Central Virology Laboratory of the Israeli Ministry of Health discovered another such variety. It began to spread across the country in the late fall of 2020.

According to Zuckerman and colleagues, the new mutation has not yet affected infection incidence or the frequency of hospitalizations of its carriers. Scientists continue to observe the further spread and accumulation of mutations in the genome of this species.