Rare variant detected for 1st time in Louisiana - B.1.630
yesterday
Erica Carbajal
Researchers at LSU Health in Shreveport, La., detected B.1.630 — a rare COVID-19 variant — in two samples from Baton Rouge last week, the academic medical center announced Oct. 13.
It's the first time the B.1.630 variant has been detected in Louisiana. It was first detected in the U.S. in March and contains the E484Q mutation, which may help the virus escape the immune response and resist antibodies.
So far, the variant has only been sequenced 79 times in the U.S., according to a news release. It has not been assigned a variant classification or Greek alphabet letter, such as the delta or alpha strains, because it accounts for a very small portion of samples sequenced.
"Even though the predominance of this variant is low, we will continue to keep an eye on it and watch for any changes or if it starts to increase," said Krista Queen, PhD, director of viral genomics and surveillance at LSU Health's Center of Excellence for Emerging Viral Threats.
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https://www.beckershospitalreview.co...louisiana.html
yesterday
Erica Carbajal
Researchers at LSU Health in Shreveport, La., detected B.1.630 — a rare COVID-19 variant — in two samples from Baton Rouge last week, the academic medical center announced Oct. 13.
It's the first time the B.1.630 variant has been detected in Louisiana. It was first detected in the U.S. in March and contains the E484Q mutation, which may help the virus escape the immune response and resist antibodies.
So far, the variant has only been sequenced 79 times in the U.S., according to a news release. It has not been assigned a variant classification or Greek alphabet letter, such as the delta or alpha strains, because it accounts for a very small portion of samples sequenced.
"Even though the predominance of this variant is low, we will continue to keep an eye on it and watch for any changes or if it starts to increase," said Krista Queen, PhD, director of viral genomics and surveillance at LSU Health's Center of Excellence for Emerging Viral Threats.
...
https://www.beckershospitalreview.co...louisiana.html
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