A new variant of the coronavirus detected in New York raises fears of an acceleration of the pandemic and an increase in more severe cases. The White House has said it takes the emergence of this new strain “very seriously”.
Anew variant detected by US scientists shook the city of New York . According to their research and samples taken in November, the resistance of this new strain, which is much more contagious, is particularly strong . His streak “would have increased 12%” the last two weeks of February, according to the New York Times . This new version of the virus, called “B.1.526” , should she fear an acceleration of the epidemic and an increase in severe cases of the disease?
“We are seeing cases in Westchester, in the Bronx and Queens, in lower Manhattan and in Brooklyn,” Dr David Ho of Columbia University and co-director of Columbia told the New York daily. study, excluding the appearance of a cluster.
According to him, this variant “seems to be widespread” and involved more than 25% of the viral sequences in the state of New York , as of mid-February. In January, it represented only 3% of the samples collected.
“Older and more frequently hospitalized patients”
If this new strain is causing so much concern, it is first of all because it has similarities with that identified in South Africa , explains Ouest France . According to data from Columbia University and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), it would be “more transmissible” and would damage the body’s defense.