Coronavirus Texas: New York, California, and Brazil COVID-19 Variants Detected in Houston Methodist Genome Research

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) – The Houston region is now facing at least five different variants of COVID-19 with the addition of three from New York, Brazil and California.

Research results released Thursday by the Houston Methodist infectious diseases team showed that the three additional variants have been detected among 20,453 genomes of the coronavirus in the area under investigation since the start of the pandemic.

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The Houston Methodist study is the first to identify the three new variants in the greater Houston area.

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Variants from the United Kingdom and South Africa have already been confirmed by city and county health officials, who have described them as more contagious.

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The findings come from the nationally leading hospital system genome sequencing study. Methodist’s team processes about 1,700 samples per week. All four variants were detected in the most recent batches taken, the hospital told ABC13.

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