New dangerous strains of COVID-19 are being discovered globally

A new strain of coronavirus has been discovered in India, West Bengal, according to the CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology.

According to RIA Novosti, B.1.618 is a new line of SARS-CoV-2, mainly found in India and characterized by a separate set of genetic variants, including E484K, the main variant of evading the immune response.

It is known that the E484K mutation in the spike protein also occurs in the South African, Brazilian and Bangladeshi strains. This mutation probably weakens the antiviral activity of monoclonal antibodies. The new Indian strain is characterized by six nucleotide changes (H146del and Y145del) in addition to E484K and D614G in the spike protein. Other variants are found in genes ORF1ab, ORF3a, ORF7a, ORF7b, and N, the report says.

In turn, experts from the University of Texas described a new variant of the coronavirus - SARS-CoV-2 BV-1, which is invulnerable to some neutralizing antibodies. This strain, due to its unique genetic profile, includes elements responsible for accelerated spread, more severe and prolonged course of infection, and increased resistance to the human immune system.

A new Brazilian strain of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 was recently discovered, which is 2 times more infectious than other strains of the virus.