Brazilian Coronavirus Variant May Be More Transmissible, Evade Immunity: Study

The research, published in the journal Science, used data from Manaus city in Brazil to characterise P.1 and its properties, including 184 samples of genetic sequencing data.

The P.1 coronavirus variant, which originated in Brazil, is likely to be more transmissible than other strains of SARS-CoV-2, and might be able to evade immunity gained from previous infection with the virus, according to a modelling study. The research, published in the journal Science, used data from Manaus city in Brazil to characterise P.1 and its properties, including 184 samples of genetic sequencing data. Manaus is facing a massive second wave outbreak, with high number of daily deaths and instances of the health care systems collapsing. The researchers from University of Copenhagen in Denmark and colleagues in Brazil found that genetically speaking P.1 is different from the previous strains of coronavirus.