A NEW variant of the coronavirus has been identified in New York City that was first seen late last year, according to researchers.
Scientists at Caltech and Columbia University have identified a new variant of Covid-19 that is spreading in New York and carries a mutation that scientists say may weaken the effectiveness of vaccines.
Neither study has yet been peer-reviewed or published in a scientific journal but experts say the variant's spread is real.
The New York Times reported yesterday that the new B.1.526 variant first appeared in samples in the city back in November but by the middle of February has come to account for about one in four of viral sequences appearing in a shared scientific database.
The Caltech study - which was published on Tuesday - found the rise in B.1.526 by scanning for hundreds of thousands of mutations in a database called GISAID.
A "group of isolates" was concentrated in the New York region that computational biologist at Caltech Anthony West had not seen before.
READ MORE: International travel 'strongest predictor' of death rates in first coronavirus wave
West and his colleagues found two versions of the coronavirus increasing in frequency in the area. One had the E484K mutation, which has been seen in the South African variant and is thought to help the virus partially dodge vaccines, and another with a mutation called S477N, which may affect how tightly the virus binds to human cells. Both are grouped together as B.1.526.
Michael Nussenzweig, an immunologist at Rockefeller University in New York City, said that it's "not particularly happy news" but added, "just knowing about it is good because then we can perhaps do something about it”.
The Columbia University research is yet to be published but one of its researchers, Dr David Ho, told CNN: "We find the rate of detection of this new variant is going up over the past few weeks. A concern is that it might be beginning to overtake other strains, just like the UK and South African variants."
“Given the involvement of E484K or S477N, combined with the fact that the New York region has a lot of standing immunity from the spring wave, this is definitely one to watch,” Kristian Andersen, a virologist at the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, who was not involved in the new research efforts, told the New York Times.
This potential new virus variant highlights a point made in the Scottish Government's rationale for mandating a 10-day hotel quarantine for all international arrivals in Scotland.
In his parliamentary statement setting out the details of Scotland's hotel quarantine scheme, Transport Secretary Michael Matheson said: "The Scottish Government is clear that policy on international travel controls must be guided by the expert clinical advice.
"That advice is clear. We need a comprehensive approach to restricting international travel.
"Sage [Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies] concluded in papers published just last week: 'reactive, geographically targeted travel bans cannot be relied upon to stop importation of new variants.' They highlight 'the lag between emergence and identification of variants of concern' as well as 'the potential for indirect travel' to the UK via third countries."
Matheson later said that it is "it is very hard to say with confidence where the high-risk countries are – even for the variants we know about".
LETTERS: UK's ‘red list’ quarantine system undermines efforts to keep Scots safe
The UK Government has opted for a targetted approach that mandates hotel quarantines for countries on a "red list" of countries identified as high risk due to the spread of new variants of the coronavirus.
There are currently 33 countries on the "red list" including South Africa, Brazil, Portugal and the UAE.
The managed hotel quarantine in Scotland means that any traveller arriving from a location outwith the Common Travel Area (covering all UK nations, Isle of Man and Channel Islands) must book and pay for managed isolation in quarantine hotels for 10 days upon arrival in Scotland.
Hotels close to Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports are being used to implement the quarantine at a cost of £1750 per individual.
The New York Times article can be read here.
The UK Government has been contacted for comment.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel