Laboratory tests have shown that the P.1 coronavirus variant originating in Brazil can infect some people who have acquired immunity to previous COVID-19 infections.
The New York Times reports that the revelation was made during investigations into the rapid outbreak of the P.1 strain in the city of Manaus, Brazil, where he dominated because he was more contagious.
Nuno Faria, virologist at Imperial College London and a researcher who studied many of the P.1. studies, told the Times the recent findings were applicable to Manaus. He said he wasn’t sure if they were relevant in other locations.
Faria and his colleagues noted that Manaus appeared to have overcome the worst of the pandemic after peaking in April last year, but cases were set to increase again in late 2020. originate.
After examining variant genomes and medical records, the researchers concluded that the P.1 variant affected Manaus because of its mutations, estimating it to be between 1.4 and 2.2 times more contagious than other strains of coronavirus.
The researchers confirmed their conclusion by mixing P.1 viruses with antibodies from people who had the coronavirus last year, and found that the antibodies were six times less effective in stopping the P.1 coronavirus.
The authors caution that the study, which has not been published in a medical journal, was only conducted on cells in laboratories and not on humans.
According to Faria, the risk of P.1 outbreaks can be reduced by doubling existing virus reduction methods, including masks, social detachment and vaccinations.
“The ultimate message is that you need to increase all vaccination efforts as soon as possible,” said Faria. “You have to be one step ahead of the virus.”
The Brazilian species has already made its way to dozens of other countries, including the US, which have reported cases of the P.1 variant in Alaska, Florida, Maryland, Minnesota, and Oklahoma.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10 cases of the P.1 variant have been reported in the US so far.