Belgium detects new COVID-19 strain

On Wednesday, Belgium has announced detecting a new COVID-19 strain called B.1.214. in a research lap supervised by the University of Liège.

Vincent Bours, professor of human genetics and head of the Sars-Cov-2 analysis and sequencing laboratory at the university said: “For the moment, the viruses of a hundred or so patients with this variant have been sequenced, and much more is needed to know its effects. But we can see that it is gradually increasing in Belgium, particularly in Brussels, Flemish Brabant, and Hainaut.”

No more information is provided regarding the ability of infection or transformation of the new strain.

On the other hand, the impact of it is not identified yet, however, observing the strain without concern or panic is a must.

He added that it drew the attention of scientists because it had a “mutation that had almost never been observed before.”

Until now, at least 80 mutated variants of the virus, many of them of the emerged strains in Europe such as the Brazilian and UK ones.