California coronavirus mutant escalates to CDC's 'variant of concern'

Two lineages of a coronavirus variant first detected in California have been classified as “variant[s] of concern” (VOC) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with the agency citing an estimated 20% increased transmissibility over prior strains.

The study notes the variant was detected in 459 of 2,172 sampled genomes, or about 21%. The first reported case of the variant occurred in July in Los Angeles, though sequence analysis suggests it likely emerged in May 2020. This variant includes a key unique mutation dubbed L452R not seen on other concerning variants, among other mutations. Chiu took to Twitter to share news of the new characterization, writing in part: "the B.1.427/B.1.429 variant from California has been elevated to a VOC by the CDC."