Shafaq News / A new "double mutant" strain of the coronavirus has been discovered in San Francisco, marking the first time the variant, thought to be behind a surge of cases in India, has been identified in the United States, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
The mutation is referred to as a "double mutant" because it carries two mutations that help the virus attach to cells.
The case is a patient from a Stanford Health Care clinic and likely occurred in Santa Clara County; County health officials said they are not monitoring the new variant because it is not on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's list of concern, according to the Chronicle.
One of the new strain mutations is similar to that found on both the variants first detected in Brazil and South Africa. The second mutation has been found in a variant in California. The mutation is believed to be more transmissible than the original strain of COVID-19, but it is unknown if it is more resistant to vaccines.
