- This variant was first detected in Nigeria and UK in December 2020.
- It has been seen in other countries, including U.S., Canada, Denmark, Britain, France, Belgium, Spain, Finland, Nigeria, Ghana, Jordan, Australia and Singapore.
- As of Feb. 17, 46 and 12 cases of the variant had been confirmed by gene sequencing in the UK and US, respectively.
- Biological characteristics of this new variant, such as infectivity, are still unknown. So, for now, it is a “variant under investigation.”
- The variant is defined by 3 mutations: E484K, Q677H, and F888L.
- Other alterations make it similar to the UK variant (B.1.7.7).
News
- A New Covid-19 Variant From Nigeria Raises Increased Concerns For Containment And Vaccination
- Forbes, USA, February 24, 2021
- Another new coronavirus variant seen in the UK
BBC, UK, February 16, 2021 - New Covid variant with potentially worrying mutations found in UK
The Guardian, February 15, 2021
- It was first detected in the US on October 23.
- Between 01 Dec 2020 and 19 Jan 2021, it rose to represent 27.8% and 11.3% of all SARS-CoV-2 genomes sequenced from Louisiana and New Mexico, respectively.
- The variant is defined by Q677P mutation.
- The proximity of this position to the polybasic cleavage site at the S1/S2 boundary are consistent with its potential functional relevance during cell entry
- Biological function of this variant is unknown.
Publications
Structure of SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein denoting location of Q677P within a disordered loop adjacent to the polybasic (furin) cleavage site (Cited from https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.02.12.21251658v2.full.pdf).
- This variant was first detected in samples collected in New York City in November.
- On study found a steady increase (12.3%) in the detection rate from late December to mid-February in New York.
- Detection of B.1.526 variant is scattered in the Northeast of US.
- The variant has L5F, T95I, D253G, E484K, D614G, and A701V mutations in the spike protein.
- D253G resides in the antigenic supersite within the N-terminal domain, which is a target for neutralizing antibodies.
- The impact of the E484K mutation on antibody neutralization: neutralizing activities of convalescent plasma or vaccinee sera are lower by 7.7-fold or 3.4-fold, respectively, against the E484K variant (refer to the publication below).
- Evaluation of susceptibility of variants identified through global surveillance and in subjects treated with bamlanivimab is ongoing. Pseudovirus harboring the E484K substitution had reduced susceptibility to bamlanivimab. E484K reduced bamlanivimab neutralization >2000-fold.
News
- Fauci says Biden administration is taking new Covid variant in New York ‘very seriously’
CNBC, USA, March 1, 2021 - A New Coronavirus Variant Is Spreading in New York, Researchers Report
NYT, February 24, 2021
Publications
- A Novel SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern, B.1.526, Identified in New York
MedRxiv, February 25, 2021
