COVID-19 P.1 variant discovered in Yolo County, shedding light on the evolution of SARS-CoV-2

Despite the development of vaccines and fast testing methods, SARS-CoV-2 continues to mutate and pose threats to our community. According to a recent news release by Healthy Davis Together, the P.1 variant of the virus has been identified in Yolo County. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this variant was first identified in Brazil, and contains 17 unique mutations, three of which are specific to the receptor binding domain of the spike protein. 

Richard Michelmore, the director of the UC Davis Genome Center, explained that although mutations are constantly occurring in the genome, most of the time these changes do not have an impact on the virus. However, there are times that these mutations become advantageous and cause the virus to evolve. 

“One of the selection pressures for a virus is to increase transmissibility,” Michelmore said. “So if a virus is more transmissible, it’s going to be more successful, and we have seen a number of mutations in the virus, particularly in the receptor binding domain of the ACE-2 receptor that confer greater transmissibility.”

Read the full article by Michelle Wong on The California Aggie.