Possible New Strain of Coronavirus Quickly Dominates Ohio City, Scientists Say
Variant that apparently evolved in the U.S. would add to growing global list of emerging strains
A mutated strain of the coronavirus thought to have originated in the United States has been discovered in Ohio, according to preliminary results of an ongoing analysis of changes in the virus. Over a recent three-week period, the newly evolved variant appears to have become the dominant version of the virus spreading in Columbus, the state’s capital, suggesting that like other variants emerging around the world, it is more contagious than the original.
Details of the findings of this and also a second new variant, announced January 13 in a press release, have not yet been published in a scientific journal and so should be considered preliminary. But other infectious disease experts have previously said they expect more emerging new strains, also called variants, of SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19.
Bruce Vanderhoff, chief medical officer of the Ohio Department of Health, told CNBC he’s “not surprised” by the discovery.
More research is needed to confirm the findings, however. Adam Lauring, MD, a molecular biologist who studies genetics and evolution of viruses at the…
