Scientists warn that the COVID-19 variant discovered in California is more contagious and more resistant to antibodies from COVID-19 vaccines.
According to a Los Angeles Times report, researchers from the University of California San Francisco said that there is also a big concern for the variants found in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil.
“The devil is already here,” Dr. Charles Chiu, leader of the study, said. “I wish it were different. But the science is the science.”
Dr. Chiu believes that the variant will account for 90% of the state’s cases by the end of the month.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the variant is about 19% to 24% more transmissible. Compared to prior strains, the study found that the effectiveness of neutralizing antibodies against the variant was reduced to half its usual levels. The virus can infect human lung tissue about 40% more readily.
