Ohio State researchers have discovered a new coronavirus strain in Columbus similar to the highly infectious strain in the U.K. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Scientists at Ohio State have discovered a new strain of the coronavirus believed to have originated in the U.S., with an identical mutation to the highly infectious strain originally found in the U.K. There is no evidence that current vaccines are ineffective against the new strain.
The Wexner Medical Center stated in a Wednesday release the strain has been identified in one Ohio patient, and the prevalence of the strain in the state population is not yet known.
Researchers believe mutations in the Columbus variant likely make it more infectious, similar to the U.K. strain.
“The big question is whether these mutations will render vaccines and current therapeutic approaches less effective,” Peter Mahler, a co-author of the study and chief scientific officer at the Wexner Medical Center and vice dean for research at the College of Medicine, said in the release. “At this point, we have no data to believe that these mutations will have any impact on the effectiveness on vaccines now in use.”
Mohler said decisions need to be made based on data and science, and that it’s important not to overreact to the new strain until there is more information.
The U.K. strain was discovered in England in September. It is more contagious than previous strains and accounts for more than half of all new cases in England between October and December, according to the World Health Organization.
Although more contagious, the strain in the U.K. had not been found to cause more severe symptoms.
“This new Columbus strain has the same genetic backbone as earlier cases we’ve studied, but these three mutations represent a significant evolution,” Dr. Dan Jones, study leader and vice chair of the division of molecular pathology, said in the release.
Both Mohler and Jones said the discovery of the Columbus variant leads them to believe the same mutation may be occurring in other parts of the world — but this is to be expected.
“Viruses naturally mutate and evolve over time, but the changes seen in the last two months have been more prominent than in the first months of the pandemic,” Jones said. He said his team will continue to watch for mutations as people are vaccinated.
