(Health Times reporter Dong Yingyu)
According to CCTV News, France recently discovered a new type of new coronavirus variant strain "IHU", the strain number B.1.640.2, was first found in a patient returning to France from the Congo. According to the official website of the World Health Organization, more than 20 mutants have been reported worldwide, including the well-known Delta, Olmikeron and other strains.
The Health Times reporter combed and found that the earliest discovery of various mutant strains of the new coronavirus in 2020 was March, April, May, September, October, November and December, and the number was 1, 1, 3, 1, 2, 6 and 2 respectively. In 2021, the first discovery of new variants was January, March, May, September and November, and the number of new variants was 6, 2, 1, 1 and 1, respectively. From the time of reporting, new variants are found almost every 2 months worldwide.
The emergence time of new variants is concentrated in the winter, the most are November 2020 and January 2021, and there are as many as 6 newly discovered variants in these two months.
According to French media reports, on December 9, 2021, the Mediterranean Institute of Infectious Diseases medical and teaching research in Marseille, France, said that a new variant of the new coronavirus was found, the strain number B.1.640.2, known as the "IHU" strain. The strain contained 46 mutation points and 37 deletions.
The strain was first identified in a patient returning to France from the Congo. So far, the Mediterranean Institute of Infectious Diseases Medical and Teaching Research in Marseille has found a total of 12 cases of infection with this strain. Due to the small size of the sample, it is currently difficult to assess its infectivity and risk. The World Health Organization has listed the strain as a COVID-19 variant under surveillance.
On January 6, Academician Zhong Nanshan said in an interview with CCTV that there is no need to over-interpret the mutant strain IHU. IHU has more mutation sites than Omikeron, and theoretically has a stronger immune escape ability and resistance to some antibodies.
"For the new mutant strains, there are many unknowns that now require closer observation. One is to observe whether its spread will become mainstream, and the other is to observe its pathogenicity. Zhong Nanshan pointed out.
