A new variant of the coronavirus, discovered in New York City, worries researchers because it’s been found to have a mutation that can reduce the effectiveness of available vaccines, the New York Times reports.
The variant, called called B.1.526, was discovered in November and it’s become the most identified variant among people who have tested positive for the virus, infecting one in four cases. The strain was the subject of two studies, one by CalTech and the other by Columbia.
Patients invested with the NYC variant tend to be about six years older than average, according to the Columbia study. They also become more likely to be hospitalized. The vaccine, which would normally fight off the multiplication of the virus, seem to let the B.1.526 grow in the patients, but not to a critical level.
“People who have recovered from the coronavirus or who have been vaccinated are very likely to be able to fight this variant off, there’s no doubt about that,” said Michel Nussenzweig, an immunologist at Rockefeller University said. But “they may get a little bit sick from it.”