A new strain of the emerging coronavirus (Covid-19) was announced in South Africa, what are its characteristics?

Is it more dangerous?

Will you die alone?

This is what the next report attempts to answer.

What is the name of the new breed?

The name of the new strain of corona is "C.1.2" (C.1.2), and it evolved from the strain of virus C.1 (C.1) that dominated infections in the first wave of the virus in South Africa in mid-2020.

Who issued the warning about it?

South Africa's National Institute of Infectious Diseases on Monday issued an alert about the C.1.2 strain, saying it had been detected in all provinces of the country, but at a relatively low rate, according to a report in The Guardian.

When did the first record of this breed appear?

The National Institute of Infectious Diseases said that this strain was first discovered last May, but the "delta strain" is still prevalent and most prevalent in South Africa.

What regions registered the new strain?

According to a pre-print study in MEDRXIV (not published in a peer-reviewed journal) on C.1.2, it was discovered in:

  • Mpumalanga and Gauteng provinces, South Africa, in May 2021.

  • South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo provinces, as well as England and China in June 2021.

  • As of August 13, 2021, it has been detected in 6 out of 9 provinces in South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mauritius, New Zealand, Portugal and Switzerland.

 Has the World Health Organization listed C.1.2 as a variant of interest or concern?

So far, no, and tests are still underway to assess the effect of mutations this strain has on infection and vaccine resistance.

So far, the virus has not met the World Health Organization's criteria for classification as a "variant of concern" or a "variant of interest".

Variables of concern, such as delta, are those that show increased transmissibility or a change in clinical disease, and reduced effectiveness of public health and social measures in controlling them.

Variants of interest are those that have been shown to cause community transmission in multiple groups, have been detected in multiple countries, but have not necessarily been shown to be more virulent or transmissible.

 What are the characteristics of the "C.1.2" strain?

Despite its low rate in the population, it possesses intragenome mutations similar to those seen in strains of concern, such as the Delta strain, as well as some additional mutations.

The scientists said that mutations on the virus are "associated with increased transmissibility" and an increased ability to evade antibodies," according to a report in Bloomberg.

It contains quite a few key mutations that we're seeing in other variants that are becoming interesting or worrisome," Dr Megan Stein, a virologist and lecturer in immunology and infectious diseases at the University of Sydney's Central Clinical School, told the Guardian.

"While we can say it had some major mutations that led to the other variants being more contagious, the mutations act in synergy together, and can generally lead to a better virus perhaps, or a weaker virus," she added.

Is there a possibility that this new strain will die?

Yes, corona strains appear all the time and many disappear before they become a real problem, and many viral variants are very fragile.

The strains that persist and spread are those that survive any negative changes that harm their abilities and accumulate mutations that make them more powerful and able to infect and spread, which is what happened with Delta.

Will the vaccines be effective with the "C.1.2" strain?

Steen said we need to run trials, but we have to keep in mind that the vaccine so far looks good in terms of preventing severe infections, hospitalizations and deaths.

"There is no need to panic," she added.