The newest COVID-19 variant is called A.23.1 and it’s been located in Africa, but experts are worried it’s a preview for what’s to come in variants.
What is it?
The first time this strain was seen was in Oct. of 2020 in Uganda.
It’s currently been found in 26 different countries and makes up for about 2,000 cases globally.
While catching scientists attention, it has not been listed by the World Health Organization as a concern or interest variant.
What’s different about this strain?
This variant doesn’t have the same origin as other variants like alpha, beta, gamma, delta and mu.
This one has numerous mutations to it as well.
This isn’t the only variant found in Africa that doesn’t appear to have much connection with the rest of the variants either.
A.30, first discovered in Angola and believed to have come from Tanzania, has more in common with the A.23.1.
What makes this strain so concerning?
It appears that variants are continuing to emerge from Africa, partly because of the minimal access to vaccines.
If this continues, it would not be out of the realm of reality for a variant to eventually mutate that can completely evade vaccines entirely.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected]