Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

February 25, 2021

A Novel SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern B.1.526 Identified in New York

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[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 isolates with the E484K mutation, a key mutation of the B.1.351 variant, rose from 1.3% to 12.3% between November 2020 to mid-February 2021 in New York City. In a subset of 65 samples suspected to contain key mutations, 49 fell within a single novel lineage (B.1.526) characterized by a common set of spike protein mutations, including E484K. Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 sequences in public databases found approximately 140 genomes sampled throughout the Northeastern US that were highly related to the B.1.526 variant, suggesting the variant may already be widespread in the region.

Annavajhala et al. (Feb 25, 2021). A Novel SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern B.1.526 Identified in New York. Pre-print downloaded Feb 25 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.02.23.21252259