South Africa working with WHO over its virus variant

South African scientists said they are working with the World Health Organization to investigate a new variant of coronavirus, currently surging in many parts of the country.

The new variant known as 501.V2 was identified by a genomics team led by the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform.

It was discovered earlier this month, when scientists noticed a number of mutations during routine surveillance of the virus.

Local scientists say that South Africa’s new variant appears to be unrelated to the one found in the UK.

But it does share one important mutation. The shared mutation affects the way the virus attaches to human cells – and scientists speculate that is what is behind the faster transmission of this virus.

Researchers in the UK say the mutated virus there is 70% more transmissible. But experts in South Africa say they are still gathering data on this, but expect this may be the case here too