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A new variant of the coronavirus has been discovered in southern France. A traveler returning from Cameroon is said to have infected twelve people with it.
A person who returned to France from a trip to Cameroon in Central Africa is said to have infected at least twelve people with a previously unknown variant of the corona virus, according to French media. The tests of the infected people showed “atypical mutation combinations”. Experts from the French government report from a preliminary study that 46 mutations were identified in the new variant.
According to the study, the new variant contains the already known mutations N501Y and E484K. N501Y is also found in the alpha variant and is known for the fact that it can bind more strongly to cells and thus spread better. The new variant could therefore be more contagious than the original virus. However, there is still a lack of research data on this.
The newly discovered variant has the provisional designation B.1.640.2. It was discovered around a month ago by scientists from the IHU Méditerranée Infection research institute in Marseille.