–
–
–
In Russia, isolated cases of the new variant of the coronavirus AY.4.2 – a variant of the Delta variant – have been found. This was announced today to journalists by Kamil Hafizov, head of a research group at the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology at the federal agency Rospotrebnadzor, BTA reported, citing TASS.
Option AY.4.2, originally discovered in the UK, is one of the 45 subspecies of the Delta variant, according to British scientists. According to Francois Balu, director of the Institute of Genetics at University College London, the new variety could spread 10-15 percent faster than Delta.
Option AY.4.2 may gradually begin to displace the “old” Delta, but this is unlikely to become as rapid as the Delta itself replaced the other options some time ago, Hafizov commented.
“The discovery of a new species, of course, is important to watch, but that doesn’t mean it’s the next option to replace Delta,” said Andrew Pollard, a prominent British scientist. He is the head of the vaccine research team at Oxford University.
– .
