Another New Covid-19 Strain Found In California

The coronavirus cases in the US are not going down, but the number is hitting record highs each day and week. In California, the number of Covid-19 infections is reported to be more than 3 million, while the alarming update is that the health officials found a new strain that is different from the highly contagious variant first seen in the UK.

There were many outbreaks in Santa Clara County and the new strain appears to be identified in at least a dozen counties. The Californian Department of Public Health is not sure if it is highly contagious like the UK-variant. The Santa Clara County laboratories have been studying changes in the virus’ genome sequence.

The new variant has been reported to carry three mutations in the spike protein, which the virus uses to attach to and enter cells. The two Covid-19 vaccines in the US train the body’s immune system to target the spike protein. If the virus mutation could alter the spike protein to a level, the vaccines may not work or become less effective.

The UK variant, B117 could become the dominant strain in the US by March and Los Angeles County confirmed its first case of the B117.

The experts are predicting the US death toll from the pandemic is expected to reach 500,000 by mid-February.